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Fire Safety Tips & Prevention Guide

Quick, practical guidance to help keep your family, home, and community safe. When in doubt, contact your local fire department — they’re always glad to help.

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Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms

  • Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside each bedroom, and outside sleeping areas.
  • Test alarms once a month by pressing the test button.
  • Replace alarm batteries at least once a year, and replace the entire alarm every 10 years.
  • Install carbon monoxide (CO) alarms near sleeping areas and on every level of the home.

Home Escape Planning

  • Make a home escape plan with two ways out of every room.
  • Practice your fire drill at least twice a year — once at night.
  • Choose a meeting place outside, a safe distance from the home.
  • Once out, stay out. Never go back inside a burning building.

Kitchen & Cooking Safety

  • Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling, or broiling food.
  • Keep flammable items — towels, oven mitts, packaging — away from the stovetop.
  • For a small grease fire, slide a lid over the pan and turn off the burner. Never use water.
  • Keep a working fire extinguisher nearby and know how to use it.

Heating & Electrical

  • Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from heating equipment.
  • Turn off portable heaters when leaving the room or going to bed.
  • Have a qualified technician inspect heating systems and chimneys yearly.
  • Don’t overload outlets or run extension cords under rugs or across doorways.

Smoking & Open Flames

  • If you smoke, smoke outside and use deep, sturdy ashtrays.
  • Soak cigarette butts and ashes in water before throwing them away.
  • Never smoke in bed or when drowsy, medicated, or impaired.
  • Keep candles at least 12 inches from anything that can burn, and never leave them unattended.

Lithium-Ion Battery Safety

  • Only use the charger that came with your device. Counterfeit chargers are a major fire risk.
  • Don’t charge phones, e-bikes, or scooters on soft surfaces like beds or couches.
  • Stop using a battery that’s swollen, leaking, hot, or making odd sounds.
  • Dispose of damaged batteries at a certified recycling center — not in household trash.

Wildfire Preparedness

  • Create a defensible space by clearing dry brush, leaves, and debris within 30 feet of your home.
  • Use fire-resistant materials for roofs, decks, and siding when possible.
  • Pack a “go bag” with documents, medications, water, and chargers in case of evacuation.
  • Sign up for local emergency alerts and follow evacuation orders immediately.

Vehicle & Road Safety

  • Keep your vehicle maintained — overheating engines and fuel leaks can start fires.
  • If your car catches fire, pull over, turn off the engine, and get everyone at least 100 feet away.
  • Always pull right and stop for emergency vehicles with lights and sirens.
  • Never drive through smoke or around road-closure barriers near a wildfire.

If a Fire Starts

  • Get out, stay out, and call 911 from outside the building.
  • If you must escape through smoke, get low and go under the smoke to your exit.
  • Feel doorknobs and door cracks with the back of your hand. If hot, use another way out.
  • If your clothes catch fire: Stop, Drop, and Roll until the fire is out.

Downloadable Safety Tip Sheets

Print-ready one-page PDFs on the most common home fire hazards — perfect to post on the fridge, hand out to family, or share at community events.

These tips are general guidance and don’t replace advice from your local fire department or emergency officials.