Score a fire safety home run — do a home fire safety inspection!

Striking out fire in your home requires a little homework. Take about 20 minutes to inspect your home. As you go from room to room, answer the questions below. For each question you answer “yes” to, give yourself a point. When you’re finished, add up the points to find out your score. Kids, ask a grown-up to help you complete this checklist!

Cooking Safety

• Does a grown-up always stay in the kitchen when food is cooking on the stove?
• Are stove tops and counters clean and uncluttered?
• Are there pot holders within easy reach of the stove?
• Are pot handles turned inward so they can’t be bumped?
• Are curtains and other things that can burn well away from the stove?
• Is there a “kid-free” zone of three feet (one meter) around the stove when grown-ups are cooking?

Electrical Safety

• Are extension cords used safely? (Are they not under carpets or across doorways?)
• Are electrical cords in good condition, without cracks or frayed areas? (A grown-up should unplug lamps and appliances before inspecting the cords.)
• Are kitchen appliances – such as the coffee-maker, toaster oven, and microwave – plugged into separate receptacle outlets?

Heating Safety

• Does your home have smoke alarms on every level, including the base- ment, and outside each sleeping area?
• Are the batteries working in all your smoke alarms? (A grown-up should help by pushing the test button to find out.)
• Are all the exits in your home clear of furniture, toys, and clutter?
• Does your family have a home fire escape plan that includes two exits, usually a door and a window, from each room?
• Has your family picked a safe place to meet outside after you exit your home?
• Are portable space heaters always turned off when adults leave the room or go to sleep?
• If space heaters are used in your home, are they at least three feet (one meter) away from anything else that can burn, including people, furniture, and pets?
• Does your fireplace have a sturdy screen to catch sparks?
• Has your chimney been inspected and cleaned during the past year?
• Has your furnace been serviced by a professional in the past year?
• Are propane tanks and other fuels stored outside your home?

Smoke Alarms/Home Fire Escape

• Have you and your family prac- ticed a home fire drill within the last six months? (Why not do one tonight?)
• Do you know the fire depart- ment’s emergency phone num- ber (which should be called from a neighbor’s or nearby phone once you get outside)?
• What’s Your Fire Safety Batting Average?

Check your score:

If you answered “yes” to all of the checklist questions above, congratulations! You scored a fire safety home run!

If you answered “yes” to 15 to 20 questions, you’ve hit a triple. Just make a few adjustments and you’ll hit a home run!

If you answered “yes” to 10 to 14 questions, you’ve hit a double. You’re going in the right direction, but you’ve got some work to do before you get to home plate.

If you answered “yes” to fewer than 10 questions, you’ve reached first base, but you need to make many changes around your home in order to reach home plate.

For all questions to which you answered “no,” make sure your family takes the steps needed to make them a “yes” so you can all score a fire safety home run!