Following is a fire and carbon monoxide safety checklist which is intended to help you make your home fire safe.

 

Inside Your Home and Garage

 

Kitchen

 

___Keep a working fire extinguisher in the kitchen.

 

___Maintain electric and gas stoves in good operating condition.

 

___Keep baking soda on hand to extinguish stove-top oil fires.

 

___Tum the handles of pots and pans containing hot liquids away from the front of the stove.

 

___Install curtains and towel holders away from the burners on the stove.

 

___Store matches and lighters out of the reach of children.

 

___Make sure that your electrical service is designed to handle appliance loads.

 

 

Living Room

 

___Install a screen in front of fireplace or wood stove.

 

___Store the ashes from your fireplace (or barbeque) in a metal container and dispose of only when cold.

 

___Clean fireplace chimneys and flues at least once a year.

 

 

 

Hallway

 

___Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors between living and sleeping areas.

 

___Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors monthly and replace batteries twice a year, when clocks are changed in the spring and fall.

 

___Install child safety plugs (caps) on all electrical outlets.

 

___Replace electrical cords that do not work properly, have loose connections, or if frayed.

 

 

 

Bedroom

 

___If you sleep with the door closed, install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in the bedroom.

 

___Turn off electric blankets and other electrical appliances when not in use.

 

___Do not smoke in bed.

 

___If you have security bars on your windows or doors, be sure they have an approved quick-release mechanism so you and your family can get out in the event of a fire.

 

 

 

Bathroom

 

___Disconnect appliances such as curling irons and hair dryers when done; store in a safe location until cool.

 

___Keep items such as towels away from wall and floor heaters.

 

 

 

Garage

 

___Mount a working fire extinguisher in the garage.

 

___Have tools such as a shovel, hoe, rake, and bucket available for use in a wildfire emergency.

 

___Install a solid door with self-closing hinges between living areas and the garage.

 

___Dispose of oily rags in approved (Underwriters Laboratories) metal containers.

 

___Store all combustibles away from ignition sources such as water heaters.

 

___Disconnect electrical tools and appliances when not in use.

 

___Allow hot tools such as glue guns and soldering irons to cool before storing.

 

___Properly store flammable liquids in approved containers and away from ignition sources such as pilot lights.

 

 

 

Disaster Preparedness

 

 

___Maintain at least a three-day supply of drinking water, and food that does not require refrigeration and generally does not need cooking.

 

___Maintain a portable radio, flashlight, emergency cooking equipment, portable lanterns and batteries.

 

___Maintain first aid supplies to treat the injured until help arrives.

 

___Keep a list of valuables to take with you in an emergency; if possible, store these valuables together.

 

___Make sure that all family members are ready to protect themselves with STOP, DROP and ROLL.

 

___For safety, securely attach all water heaters and furniture such as cabinets and bookshelves to walls.

 

___Have a contingency plan to enable family members to contact each other. Establish a family / friend phone tree.

 

___Designate an emergency meeting place outside your home.

 

___Practice emergency exit drills in the house regularly.

 

___Outdoor cooking appliances such as barbeques should never be taken indoors for use as heaters.

 

 

 

Outside

 

 

Design/Construction

 

___Consider installing residential sprinklers.

 

___Build your home away from ridge tops, canyons and areas between high points on a ridge.

 

___Build your home at least 30 - 100 feet from your property line.

 

___Use fire resistant materials.

 

___Enclose the underside of eaves, balconies and above ground decks with fire resistant materials.

 

___Try to limit the size and number of windows in your home that face large areas of vegetation stall only dual-paned or triple-paned windows.

 

___Make sure that electric service lines, fuse boxes and circuit breaker panels are installed and maintained as prescribed by code.

 

___Contact qualified individuals to perform electrical maintenance and repairs.

 

 

Access

 

___Identify at least two exit routes from your neighborhood.

 

___Construct roads that allow two-way traffic.

 

___Design road width, grade and curves to allow access for large emergency vehicles.

 

___Construct driveways to allow large emergency equipment to reach your house.

 

___Design bridges to carry heavy emergency vehicles, including bulldozers carried on large trucks.

 

___Post clear road signs to show traffic restrictions such as dead-end roads, and weight and height limitations.

 

___Make sure dead-end roads, and long driveways have turn-around areas wide enough for emergency vehicles.

 

___Construct turnouts along one-way roads.

 

___Clear flammable vegetation at least 10 feet from roads and five feet from driveways.

 

___Cut back overhanging tree branches above roads.

 

___Make sure that your street is named or numbered, and a sign is visibly posted at each street intersection.

 

___Make sure that your street name and house number are not duplicated elsewhere in the county.

 

___Post your houses address at the beginning of your driveway, or on your house if it is easily visible from the road.

 

 

 

Roof

 

___Remove branches within 10 feet of your chimney and dead branches overhanging your roof.

 

___Remove dead leaves and needles from your roof and gutters.

 

___Install a fire resistant roof. Contact your local fire department for current roofing requirements.

 

___Cover your chimney outlet and stovepipe with a nonflammable screen of half inch or smaller mesh.

 

 

Landscape

 

___Create a "defensible space" by removing all flammable vegetation at least 30 feet from all structures.

 

___Never prune near power lines. Call your local utility company first.

 

___Landscape with fire resistant plants.

 

___On slopes or in high fire hazard areas remove flammable vegetation out to 100 feet or more.

 

___Space native trees and shrubs at least 10 feet apart.

 

___For trees taller than 18 feet, remove lower branches within six feet of the ground.

 

___Maintain all plants by regularly watering, and by removing dead branches, leaves and needles.

 

___Before planting trees close to any power line, contact your local utility company to confirm the maximum tree height allowable for that location.

 

 

 

 

Yard Areas

 

___Stack woodpiles at least 30 feet from all structures and remove vegetation within 10 feet of woodpiles.

 

___Locate LPG tanks (butane and propane) at least 30 feet from any structure and maintain 10 feet of clearance.

 

___Remove all stacks of construction materials, pine needles, leaves and other debris from your yard.

 

___Contact your local fire department to see if open burning is allowed in your area; if so, obtain a burning permit.

 

___Where burn barrels are allowed, clear flammable materials at least 10 feet around the barrel; cover the open top with non-flammable screen mesh no larger than a quarter inch.

 

 

 

Emergency Water Supply

 

Maintain an emergency water supply that meets fire department standards through one of the following:

 

• A community water I hydrant system
• A cooperative emergency storage tank with neighbors
• A minimum storage supply of 2,500 gallons on your property

 

___Clearly mark all emergency water sources.

 

___Create easy firefighter access to your closest emergency water source.

 

___If your water comes from a well, consider an emergency generator to operate the pump during a power failure.

 

This fire safety checklist was developed by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.