FIRE DEPARTMENT
Prevent Home Fires
You can protect yourself and your home from the major causes of home fires by taking some basic precautions. Check each room in your home for these common hazards and learn to spot situations that may create a fire risk.
Throughout Your Home:
• Are portable space heaters placed at least three feet from anything than can burn? Space heaters should be turned off when you go to bed or leave the room.
• Are matches and lighters kept in a locked cabinet where children cannot reach them?
• Has your wiring been inspected to make sure that it meets code requirements?
• Are your electrical cords in good condition, not frayed or cracked? You should avoid running extension cords across doorways or under carpets. In addition, to avoid overloading the circuit, only one high-wattage appliance at a time should be plugged into a receptacle outlet. 
• Do you have a smoke alarm in each bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of your home?
• Are your smoke alarms interconnected so that when one sounds they all sound?
• Do you test your smoke alarms once per month?
• Does your family practice your home fire escape plan twice a year?
• Does your home have carbon monoxide alarms?
Kitchen:
• Is your stove top clean and free from clutter?
• Do you stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food?
• Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) electrical outlets should be installed in kitchens, bathrooms, outdoor areas, basements, and garages. GFCIs greatly reduce the risk of shock by shutting off an electrical circuit when the circuit could be a shock hazard.
Living Room/Family Room:
• Do you have a sturdy metal fireplace screen?
• Do you have your chimney cleaned and inspected at the beginning of each heating season?
• Do you encourage smokers to smoke outside the home?
Bedroom: 
• Do you have Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs)? AFCIs protect against fire by continuously monitoring the electrical current in a circuit and shutting off the circuit when unintended arcing occurs.
• Do you burn candles in your bedroom? Due to a large number of candle fires occurring in bedrooms, the National Fire Prevention Association discourages the use of candles in bedrooms.
Basement:
• Do you have your heating equipment cleaned and inspected by a professional each year?
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