Keep These Items Near Your Bed

What would happen if there was a fire in your home in the middle of the night and you needed to evacuate out the window of your bedroom?  Would you be able to easily grab everything you need in the event that your house burned to the ground and you wouldn't be able to go back in and retrieve anything else?  Consider having these items within easy reach of your bed, ready to grab and go at a moment's notice:

• Shoes and socks
• Complete change of clothes/jacket
• Wallet/cell phone/keys (ie: EDC bag)
• Firearm/extra magazine
• Thumb drive back-up of all of your computer files
• Leather work gloves
• Necessary medications/copy of prescriptions
• Video of home inventory
• Flashlight
• Cash/credit cards
• Emergency whistle
• Copy of all important documents (passport, car titles, etc) on thumb drive
• Bug Out Bag

In the event of a house fire, pretty much everything you need can be easily replaced with a trip to the store but if you are literally left homeless, you don't want to be left homeless in your pajamas and slippers.  You want to be able to escape your home with things that are vitally necessary to get yourself to a hotel, submit an insurance claim, and restart your life from nothing.

Tis the Season...For House Fires

As the weather gets colder--and right now it is freezing in most of the country--the number of house fires increase.  To keep your home and family safe this season, consider these safety tips:

• ALWAYS having working smoke detectors in your home (there should be one on each floor and one in each bedroom.  Be sure to change the batteries regularly as well).
• Make sure to keep combustibles far away from all heat sources (no flapping curtains near the wood stove or fireplace, locate space heaters where they won't be in close proximity to flammable items, etc).
• If you do use space heaters, be sure to check the cord regularly to make sure it isn't overheating and make sure it is of the newer variety that will shut off if it is tipped over.
• Keep your Christmas tree well watered and never use candles on it as decoration.
• If you do use candles in your home (on the dinner table, as decoration, for religious rituals) never leave them unattended and be sure they are extinguished before leaving the room).
• Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children.
• Be sure to have your fireplace/wood stove and chimney flue cleaned regularly, and always use both a fire screen in front of the hearth and a spark arrestor on the top of the chimney.
• Have a home fire escape plan and drill it regularly.
• Never cook inside on or heat your home with outdoor appliances (barbecue grills, outdoor firepits, camp stoves, etc).  Not only are these a fire hazard but they are a carbon monoxide poisoning hazard too.
• Have a fire extinguisher on each level of your home and know how to use it.
• Check Christmas lights for signs of defect or overheating.  Also, make sure that outlets are not overloaded which can cause a fire.
• Be extra careful when cooking.  It's the holidays, you have a bunch of people in your kitchen, you get distracted, and before you know it, your kitchen goes up in flames!  Always watch what you are cooking so it doesn't boil over/catch on fire.  Keep kids and pets away from not only the stove/oven but the fireplace/wood stove as well.  Don't wear loose, dangling clothing while cooking.
• If you really need a deep fried turkey/turduckin/whatever, consider having it professionally cooked instead of doing it at home.
• If you are lighting the annual family Christmas bonfire, NEVER use gas to start it!  For some reason people think that lighting the gas (liquid) will start a fire, but it is actually the vapors which explode (think internal combustion engine) if you get a match anywhere in the vicinity.
• Even if your home is overflowing with guests, never allow them to sleep in a room (ie: storage room, closet) that only has one way to exit it.  Many people die in house fires for just this reason.
• When you leave your home or go to bed for the night, do a quick safety check to make sure that: the stove is off, all candles are snuffed, the fire is out, the Christmas lights are turned off, etc.

We want this to be a safe holiday season for everyone.  By following these simple tips, you can make your home as safe as possible for you and your family.

It's Wildfire Season, Prepare Accordingly

While some of the country is battling massive rainstorms and flooding, for folks in the west, it is time to get ready for wildfire season.  Here's some tips:

• If you have a lawn, keep it mowed and watered (a tall, dried out lawn is much more likely to catch fire and/or help encourage a fire that is heading towards your property).
• Keep the land around your home/detached garage/out buildings/propane tank/etc. cleared (this will serve as a buffer against wildfires).
• Keep your gutters and roof clean and clear of all debris.
• Don't store firewood next to your house/garage/outbuilding; you should have a separate wood storage area away from the house for this.
• Dead or dying trees/shrubs/other vegetation should be cleared immediately (not only is this a hazard during wind/ice storms but dead trees easily fuel wildfires as well).
• Have a plan to evacuate your home in the event of a wildfire (this includes having a BOB on hand as well as a few planned routes out of your neighborhood).
• Be able to evacuate via a variety of means in the event of a wildfire (by car, by motorcycle, by bicycle, on foot, etc).
• Have a plan for evacuating your pets and livestock in the event of a wildfire.
• Consider fire-resistant landscaping around your home.
• Use common sense when burning outdoors (ie: if it is dry and windy, reconsider your need to burn the brush pile or have an outdoor barbecue).
• Be sure your children don't have access to matches and lighters (and be sure older teens know when it is safe/not safe to burn outdoors).
• Make sure your chimney has been cleaned recently and it has a spark arrester on it.
• Have the means to fight a small fire yourself (fire extinguisher, long garden hose, buckets for water, rakes and shovels, etc).
• If you are living in an area that is prone to wildfires/where an active wildfire is burning, stay tuned to local news for info on when and if to evacuate.
• Make sure the fire department can respond to your home (keep driveways clear, make sure your home is well marked, make sure your driveway is wide enough for emergency vehicles, etc).
• If you must evacuate and have time, be sure to close and lock all windows and doors, water your roof and lawn, shut off your gas or propane, etc).
• If you see a fire, call 911 and report it immediately; you can always cancel the response if necessary, but if you are fighting a fire, you want professional back-up on its way ASAP.

50 Fire Prevention Tips

Since we are in the middle of National Fire Prevention Week, I figured these tips may come in handy:

1. Have working smoke detectors in every bedroom and in the hallway on each floor.  This, more than anything else, can save a life in a fire.  Be sure to test them monthly.
2. Have a fire escape plan that the entire family practices regularly.
3. Know that one of the best ways to escape a fire is to cover your mouth with a cloth and crawl to your escape (smoke hangs like a curtain, you can't see through it and you can't breathe in it--the air is fresher and clearer near the floor).
4. Have charged fire extinguishers in the kitchen and in the garage, the two places where fires are most likely to happen (check them annually to make sure they remain charged).
5. Know that the best way to put out a fire is to "suffocate" it.  This means putting a lid over a pan that is on fire, smothering flames with a towel (for very small fires), or rolling on the ground to smother flames on your clothing (ie "stop, drop, and roll").
6. Be super careful when using an open flame in your house (candles, gas stoves, etc).  A curtain or piece of paper blown into the flame can cause a serious fire.
7. Be super careful when using deep fryers/turkey fryers.  This is the sad result of a recent accident with one of these; note that two of the adults taken to the hospital eventually died.
8. Create a fire break around your house.  Wildfires will be less likely to reach your home if there is no fuel to carry the fire to your house.
9. If there is a fire in your house that you can't reasonably extinguish within seconds, get everyone out of the house, go outside, and call 911.  
10. Have a no smoking in the house rule (which is good for your health anyway) and have a container of sand in your outdoor smoking area where cigarettes can be extinguished.
11. Keep matches, lighters, and other incendiary devices away from children (they are naturally curious and are likely to experiment with these things even if they know they are dangerous).
12. If you store cans of gasoline, store them in a well-ventilated outbuilding instead of the garage.
13. If you have oil-soaked rags, be sure to lay them flat on the garage/shop's concrete floor and let them dry; don't store wet, oily rags in a clump on your work bench or they could spontaneously combust.
14. Be careful with portable heaters, fireplaces, and wood stoves; a curtain or paper blowing into them can cause a fire.
15. Beware of stupid teenager tricks.  There are a number of ways--highlighted most effectively on YouTube--that you can set yourself or other things on fire.  Most of these are done by teenagers and range from "super soakers" shooting a flammable liquid to the "breathing fire" stunt.
16. Know that gasoline doesn't need to be touched with a match in order to ignite.  Simply having gas fumes near a flame source can cause an explosion and fire.
17. Be sure that any appliance with an electrical cord is checked occasionally to make sure that the cord isn't frayed and could start a fire (or simply unplug the appliance if you aren't using them).
18. Have your chimney cleaned annually; this can prevent a fire in your chimney from build-up.
19. Be sure that anyone using sensitive medical appliances (like oxygen tanks) do not smoke near these--it can cause an explosion.
20. Have your kitchen well organized in order to prevent fire (no clutter, don't place items that you use often and need to reach for above the stove, keep pot handles turned in to the stove instead of sticking out where people walk, keep children away from the stove and don't let them play in the cooking area, etc).
21. Be careful when cooking (use pot holders, don't start cooking then leave the room, use care when transferring hot foods from the stove or oven, etc).
22. Consider whether you should connect your fire alarm system to your security system (this is often a good idea for elderly folks, homes with a lot of children, or for those with serious medical issues--it brings help faster, especially for people who may not be able to easily call for help if there is a fire).
23. Keep your home clutter free.  If you have to escape your home in a hurry and you fall over something, that can keep you from leaving your home and/or make you more likely to suffer from smoke inhalation).
24. Have a fire escape plan if you have security bars on your doors and windows (this can delay escaping from a fire and/or delay assistance from reaching you if you are stuck in your home).
25. Keep household chemicals properly labeled and stored to prevent combustion.
26. Have a family meeting place outside of the home where everyone would gather should they need to escape from the home if it is on fire.
27. Consider a residential fire sprinkler system.  Again, this is often most critical for the elderly, ill, and homes with many children as it can extinguish small fires and/or give you more time to escape from a burning home.
28. Make sure everyone in the family knows how to call 911 and report a fire.
29. Make sure there is a way to escape through the window from second and third story bedrooms.
30. Keep vital items right near your bed, you won't have time to search for them if you awaken to a fire (these should include a pair of shoes, flashlight, cell phone, keys, wallet, etc).
31. Know that if you wake up to a fire and the door knob/door is hot, you will need to go out a window--don't risk running through a house engulfed in flames.
32. Most people who die in house fires die from smoke inhalation, not burns, so be very aware that you need to protect your breathing/airway as you escape from a fire.
33. Practice evacuating from your home blindfolded, this will simulate what escaping a fire may be like.  Do this carefully of course.
34. Halogen lights and any other unit that gets very hot (ie: countertop oven, etc) should be placed in a well ventilated place and not near anything flammable.
35. Be careful during the holidays.  Having guests, many more children who may be unsupervised, dry Christmas trees, celebration candles, etc. can all increase the possibility of fire.
36. Clean your clothes dryer's lint screen regularly and the exhaust duct occasionally to help prevent fires.
37. Take extra precautions if you live in a high rise building (escape from a fire can be difficult), apartment (often fires can travel from unit to unit through shared attic space), or manufactured home (older manufactured homes and not all that fire safe).
38. Be extra careful around the 4th of July.  Fireworks can cause house fires as well as cause damage outside of your house.
39. Plan for fire safety when you drive.  Carry a fire extinguisher, keep your car in good working order, and be careful when transporting cans of gasoline in your vehicle.
40. Be extra aware of fire danger when away from home.  Take time to figure out how you would escape from a motel/hotel/concert venue/dorm/mall/supermarket/air plane/etc.
41. Check the electric system in your home: you should have GFI outlets near sinks and water sources, all outlets should be grounded, replace any burned or burned out outlets or switches, check your breaker box to make sure all switches work, and have any needed electric service completed by a licensed electrician.
42. If you have any question about the fire "safe-ness" of your home, call you local fire department; they will usually provide free fire safety inspections for people who live in their area.
43. If you have a generator, make sure it is professionally installed if it will be connected to your home's electrical system.
44. Learn CPR and basic first aid; in the event of a fire you may be the one providing these life saving skills until help can arrive.
45. If you have children, incorporate a few drills into their weekly schedule.  While being able to hide in an emergency situation such as a break in is important, they need to automatically know that in a fire they can't hide, they need to escape.  Children who don't learn to escape from a fire often hide which makes it harder for them to be rescued and/or survive a fire.
46. Teach everyone in the family how to turn off your home's main breaker, water main, and gas main.  During a natural disaster, fires are often started by broken electrical and gas lines.
47. Keep garden hoses hooked up to your outdoor water spigots.  This will allow you to put out bonfires or small burns and can also be used to wet down your house in the event of wildfire.
48. Make preventing and preparing for a fire a fun family activity.  Regular practice will demystify the process, allow everyone to develop an automatic "muscle memory" response to a fire, and they will be less likely to freak out because they will be focused on completing the task at hand which they have practiced so many times before.
49. Keep important belonging (cash, important documents, etc) in a fire proof safe or fire proof gun safe.  
50. Finally, be careful with fire when you are out of doors.  Put out campfires, don't toss cigarettes into the brush, and be aware of fire danger when you head to the mountains.

Your House is on Fire, What Do You Take?

I came across this interesting website where people make photographic posts of what they would take if their house ever caught fire. Interesting idea. The possibility of me grabbing a Michael Jackson album as I escape my burning abode, as one person posted, is about zero, and there doesn't appear to be a survivalist-oriented person in the bunch, however it did give me pause to think about the question. Here is what I would grab in the event that my house goes up in flames (theoretical of course since at this point, nearly everything I own is in a backpack that I carry around with me as I travel the world for the next year or so which means I would, at this point, just grab the backpack and go):

• Wallet, cell phone, key chain. These three items contain everything I would need to get back on my feet should a fire burn my home to the ground--contacts, money, ID, etc. Note that all of my personal/insurance/financial information is on a memory card stored in my wallet along with scanned pictures, a home inventory for insurance purposes, a back-up of all of my computer files, etc.


• Kids/the pets/grandma. Everything else can be replaced except these...help them out of the house first (you do practice regular fire drills at your home right? This way everyone will know what to do in the event of a fire and it will be much easier to get them out of the house).


• Laptop. While I have all of my files backed up and could just buy a new laptop, it is a grand hassle getting all of the software I use back on a new computer so this I would grab just to save me the frustration of setting up a new computer.


• BOB. For those who are prepared, exiting your house in a hurry with everything that you need is as simple as grabbing your (already prepared) Bug Out Bag. Should you not be able to get to your BOB, hopefully you also have a mini BOB in your car.


• Important documents/sentimental stuff/irreplaceable stuff. Hopefully your important documents have been scanned into your computer and are currently kept off premises in a secure location. Smaller sentimental or irreplaceable stuff can also be kept in a safe deposit box or other fire-proof, secure location. With larger things such as antique furniture, there aren't many options other than good insurance coverage.


• Money/gold/other easy to carry assets (firearms, etc). These are important items to have with you, however in the event that you can't get to them/can't carry them out of the fire, here's hoping that you have them stored in a fire-resistant safe which you can come back and retrieve after the fire.

Everything else is just stuff and can be replaced.

Note: be sure to keep a pair of shoes under your bed along with gloves and a flashlight to use in the event that you need to escape quickly. A change of clothes should also be near by.

DPT--Fire Safety

Now is the time for fires--camp fires, land clearing fires, and wild fires. You can also throw in fireworks because it is the 4th of July weekend. With any of these fires comes the risk that people can be injured (burning themselves, catching their clothes and themselves on fire), property can be destroyed (it only takes a little bit of wind to change a camp fire or controlled burn into a forest fire), and lives can be changed forever (homes can be destroyed and people can be killed or severely injured because of fire).
Take extra care when the weather is hot and the ground cover is a brittle brown to make sure that your fire:

• is under your complete control
• is not started where there is dry grass or brush nearby
• can be easily put out because you have water and/or a fire extinguisher on hand
• is not started or continued when there is a lot of wind

Some other pointers:

• no matter where you are, be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice if you find that a wildfire is headed your way
• have multiple ways to escape from where you are in the event that you need to evacuate due to a wild fire
• always supervise kids around campfires and fireworks
• never throw cigarette butts on the ground; numerous fires are started this way
• always make sure your fire is completely out before you leave it
• if you are doing a major burn, always have a fire watch on duty
• if your fire needs a permit, get one (it's better than paying the fine afterwards)
• realize that simple fireworks can cause injuries if not used properly and the big illegal fireworks (M80s, homemade bombs, etc) can take off a limb or cause death
• if a firework didn't go off, don't pick it up and say "gee, why didn't this one work?" before you can finish your sentence it will probably go off and take some fingers with it. Douse the fireworks first with water then sweep them up

Have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend!

Fire Safety--A Refresher

Within the last week, five kids have died in house fires in our part of the state. I understand when the elderly find themselves disoriented in a fire and parish and I understand that small children tend to hide in a closet or under a bed in a fire, thus leading to their death, but it is hard to understand when healthy, active teenagers die in a fire. Of course each fire is different and in one of the recent fires here, an older teen ran back into the burning home to try to save a younger brother (they both died), but more needs to be done to make sure such tragedies don't happen. Here's some tips:

• Smoke detectors are the cheapest insurance you can have against house fires. Each bedroom and each level of the home should have a smoke detector. Be sure to check the batteries regularly or better yet, have the detectors hardwired into your home.
• Installing a sprinkler system (especially during the building process of a new home) is a great way to quickly snuff out fires. Of course most homes don't have these systems and they are nearly impossible to put in after the house is built, but if you have the opportunity to have such a system in your home, it is worth its weight in gold.
• Keep matches, lighters, and other fire starters away from small kids. They are curious, especially about fire, however the consequences can be disastrous.
• Have a fire escape plan and practice it often. Everyone needs to know how to escape from each room of the house (usually out the door and out the window), as quickly as possible. The more this is practiced, the more likely the actions to escape will become automatic and require very little thought during an actual disaster. Obviously, in a second story bedroom, you want to have an escape ladder available but you may not want people to use it during a drill for safety reasons. If you look under my bed you will find a heavy gauge rope which is knotted, tied around the bedpost, and ready to toss out of the second story window so we can climb down to safety. Also, after everyone escapes from the burning house, they should all meet in the same place for a quick head count.
• Have everyone practice the "stop drop, and roll" and also practice crawling from their room to escape (smoke hangs like a sheet and you literally can't see five inches in front of you in a smoky building--crawling out is usually the only way to escape). Other fire safety skills that everyone should know include how to put out a kitchen fire (put a lid on the pan instead of throwing water on it), how to snuff out a small fire (usually covering it with a blanket or some other way to deprive it of oxygen works), and how to safely work the wood stove or fireplace.
• Get rid of fire hazards. Candles are a huge fire hazard. Oily rags in the garage are another fire hazard. Frayed extension cords, space heaters too close to the drapes, fireplaces with no screen...the number of hazards are endless but can be mitigated with a bit of forethought.
• Keep charged up fire extinguishers near places where fires are likely to happen (kitchen, garage). Having long reach hoses outside are also a good idea.
• Smoking should be done outside, in a designated area that is free of combustibles, and the butts should be extinguished in a can full of sand.
• Take care with seasonal fire hazards. People do Christmas once a year so it can be easy to forget that Christmas lights or a dry tree can be a fire hazard. People do Halloween once a year so they may not remember to put out the candle in the pumpkin before they go to bed.
• Make a quick sweep of your home before you leave and before you go to bed to check for fire and other safety hazards. How many times have you left home and wondered if you turned off the iron or coffee pot? We bought the appliances that turn themselves off after a while since this seemed to happen quite often.
• Finally, be sure you have insurance on your home or apartment as well as a regularly updated home inventory. For some reason, fires tend to happen during the period after someone lets their insurance lapse and they end up with nothing--no way to pay their mortgage, no way to rebuild, and no way to replace what they have lost.

Fire safety isn't rocket science. Common sense, some simple precautions, and the mechanical means to detect, prevent, and extinguish fires, can help avert horrible tragedies.

Safety Tips...You May Never Have Heard Of

There’s no shortage of tips on how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe, but here’s some you may never have heard of:

• You know those big puffy parkas you wear during the winter to keep yourself warm? Be sure to take off the jacket when you are riding in the car as wearing a seatbelt over the parka can cause the belt to ride up too high (instead of safely and snugly around your hips) and cause severe spinal and internal injuries if you get into a car accident.
• Lap belts, in older cars which provide these as an only option instead of a three point harness, are decidedly dangerous. There are a number of reports showing that people have been literally cut in half by this type of seatbelt during a car accident.
• Expecting a repairman or has a service person come to your door saying they need to be let in to fix a problem? If you don’t know the person standing at your door and have any doubts, don’t be afraid to call their office and request a physical description of the person before you open the door.
• Going on vacation? Besides researching the best places to eat and not-to-be-missed points of interest, don’t forget to research the types of natural disasters most common to the area where you will be vacationing. Would you know the warning signs and what to do should a tsunami, tornado, hurricane, or other natural disaster not common to the area in which you live, strike?
• Starting a nutrition and exercise program? You should see your doctor first. Most people think that sounds ridiculous since they probably never knew anyone who had a serious problem just from changing their diet and exercising and not consulting their doctor first. Consulting your doctor is smart for a few reasons. First you may have an unknown condition (diabetes, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, etc) that can be causing your weight issues and needs specific treatment if you want to get back to a healthier you. Second, if you have a doctor who is knowledgeable in sports medicine, they may be able to give you some tips and pointers to get you off to a safer and healthier start on your new exercise plan. And third, seeing your doctor first and running the gamut of basic tests will give you a base line to track your improvement (such as current weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, etc.).
• You have always been told that you need to drink “enough” water every day but did you know that drinking too much water over a short period of time can be deadly? Called water intoxication or hyponatremia, drinking too much water can cause seizures, coma and even death. In one sad example, a mother tried to win a video game console for her kids during a radio station contest by drinking two gallons of water in one hour and she ended up dead. Many people, including the ten employees who were fired and the radio station which was sued, were completely unaware that this sort of thing could happen.
• If you are in charge of putting up those "Exit" signs that light up during a power outage, or any kind of safety sign that will instruct people where to go during a fire or other disaster, consider placing them near the floor. They look "normal" above the door, but when people are exiting in a smokey fire, they will be crawling on the floor and with a curtain of smoke above them, will be unable to see any signs placed above the door.

Fire Safety 101

It's amazing the number of people who are killed in fires each year. More often than not, it is because the homeowner (or usually the renter) would easily spend $6 for a pack of cigarettes but won't spend $20 for a smoke detector. Duh. Here's a few tips to keep you and yours fire safe:

• Have working smoke detectors. You should have one in each bedroom, and one in a central location in each level of your home. The best detector to get is one with a sealed, 10 year lithium battery with alarm memory and smart hush (or something similar). This is the best choice because you don't have to change the battery, the battery is sealed into the unit so the kids can't take it out to use in a game or toy (this battery wouldn't fit anyway), and it has a quick reset so you can temporarily shut it off when (in my case) the spouse cooks dinner.
• Have up-to-date, fully charged fire extinguishers in the kitchen and the garage. These are the two most common areas in the home for fires to start so having a quick way to extinguish a fire is a good option.
• Do a quick fire safety check each time you leave the house or go to bed. Unplug space heaters, blow out candles, check to make sure the stove is off, put matches/lighters/firestarters out of kids sight and reach, take a quick look into the garage--this takes all of two or three minutes and is more than worth the peace of mind it offers.
• Have an escape plan so the entire family knows two ways to exit each room in an emergency.
• Drill your escape plan often. Obviously, you may want to open the window in an upstairs room and drop the escape ladder but not actually have anyone crawl out of a second story window for safety's sake. It's important to have an escape rope or ladder for each upstairs bedroom if this is how an exit will be made from the room. With kids, you need to drill often as usually when they are afraid, their first instinct is to run to the parents room--in too many tragic fires, rescuers go into the child's room but can't find the kid. Later they find that the child died of smoke inhalation because they ended up hiding in the closet, under a bed, or in the parent's room out of fear and lack of knowledge about how to escape when the house is on fire.
• Practice stop, drop, and roll to put out a fire; practice crawling from the bed to the window; practice checking the bedroom door for heat then safely exiting down the hall, down the stairs, and out the door as a first option; and practice crawling from the bed to the window blindfolded as when a house is on fire it looks like a big black curtain of smoke hanging from the ceiling and you often can't see more than a few inches in front of your face.
• Have a central meeting place outside of your home and have the entire family practice meeting there. This is the quickest way to muster the family and see if anyone is missing. Insist that everyone meet at this location first instead of taking shelter in a neighbor's house so that everyone can be accounted for.
• Have the following items in each room for the escape: a pair of leather work gloves for each person in the room, a pair of shoes for each person in the room (in our case there are no shoes in the house so having a pair under the bed in case an escape is necessary is critical), a flashlight, a way to exit the window in special circumstances (ie: if the window is painted shut you may need a hammer to break the glass, if there are bars on the window be sure there is a way to quickly open them from the inside).
• Other fire safety considerations: clean the chimney regularly, service the heating system regularly, use a firesafe can for the disposal of cigarettes or to store oil-soaked rags, use care when outdoor burning, never start a burn pile or barbecue with gasoline, keep the area around your home free of flammable materials (ie: keep the grass cut and watered and have the wood pile located away from your house), make sure you home is visible and accessible to the fire department, and if you are building a new home consider having a fire sprinkler system installed.