Cool in the kitchen

• Kids and pets should stay at least 3 feet away from the stove when food is cooking. This is what Sparky likes to call the “kid-free zone”. If you are too close to the stove, you could be burned if something hot is spilled.
• A grown-up watches the stovetop when he or she is frying, grilling, or boiling food.
• Grown-ups always pay attention to the things that are cooking.
• Things that can burn, dish towels, curtains, or paper, are at least 3 feet away from the stove.
• Pot holders or oven mitts are easy for grown-ups to reach when they are cooking.
• Pot handles are turned in toward the back of the stove when a grown-up is cooking.
• If someone gets burned, put cool water on the burn for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Microwave ovens cook food really fast. Food cooked in a microwave can get very hot. Be careful when you take the cover off food because hot steam can burn you. Let the food cool before you eat it. You should use a microwave oven only if a grown-up says it is okay.

Sound the alarm

• Your home should have smoke alarms  on every level (even the basement). It's especially important to have them outside of each sleeping area.
• If you sleep with the door closed, have grown-ups consider having interconnected alarms installed. These alarms (installed by a qualified electrician) are connected so that if one sounds, they all sound.
• Smoke alarms should be mounted high on walls or ceilings. Remember: smoke rises.
• Check to make sure the batteries in the smoke alarms work. Have a grown-up test them once at least month.
• Batteries should be replaced once a year, or when you hear the alarm "chirp"—that means that the battery is low.
• How old is that alarm anyway? Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years. And if no one can remember how old it is, it's probably time to replace it.
• Consider installing smoke alarms with "long-life" (10-year) batteries.
• Never "borrow" a battery from a smoke alarm. 
• Never paint or decorate a smoke alarm (even with stickers!) because this could keep it from working properly.
• Make sure that everyone in your home knows the sound of the smoke alarm, and knows exactly what to do if the alarm goes off. Have a grown-up sound the alarm at night to make sure that everyone wakes up. If they don't, make sure to factor that into your home fire escape plan.
• When the alarm sounds, get out. Always assume that the alarm means a real fire and follow your escape plan

Everybody out!

• Does your family have a home fire escape plan? If not, make one today; it's easy! Start by walking through your home and identifying two ways out of every room. (One way out might be the door; the other could be a window). Then draw out your escape plan, so you can post it where everyone in the family can see it.
• Clean up your room! Make sure that doors, stairways and other exits out of your home are clear of toys, furniture, and other clutter.
• Does someone in your home need help getting around (like a grandparent, or an infant)? A grown-up should make sure that they have someone to assist them in case of a fire. Be sure to assign a backup person in case the assistant isn't home.
• Pick an outside meeting place where everyone can gather after they've escaped safely (a neighbor's house, a mailbox, or even a tree will do). Make sure that you mark the spot you've picked on your escape plan.
• Memorize the emergency phone number of the fire department.  Remind everyone that they should get out first, then call for help from outside, or at a neighbor's home.
• Be ready for the real thing. Put your escape plan to the test with a fire drill at least twice a year. That way if a real fire ever happens, everyone in the family will know what to do.
• Always choose the escape route that is safest. Practice crawling low under smoke in case you must go through it to get out. Smoke is nasty stuff — even worse than fire itself. To keep from breathing it in, crawl low under the smoke on your hands and knees. Your head will be in a "safety zone" of clean air about knee high.
• Close the door behind you. Closing the doors as you leave can slow the spread of fire and smoke. 

Keep fires from starting

• Grown-ups should always turn off portable space heaters  when they leave the room or go to sleep.  Keep heaters three feet from anything that can burn like walls, bedding, and clothes. 
• If anyone in your home smokes, make sure that they put water on any butts or ashes before throwing them away.  Be sure they use large, heavy, non-tip ashtrays.
• Keep matches and lighters out of sight and reach of kids — the best place for them is up high in a cabinet.
• Remind grown-ups to make sure that electrical cords  are in good condition, with no cracked or frayed areas.
• Any fuel or liquid that can catch on fire, like gasoline, propane, or kerosene, needs to be kept in a safe container, outside the home in a garage or shed. If any of these are in your home, a grown-up should move these items outside immediately, and keep them in a locked shed or garage.
• Set up a ‘kid-free’ zone around burning candles: no playing with or near candles, with candle wax, or with things that could catch fire near candles.
• Don’t let kids light candles  (and grown-ups should be careful to keep hair and any loose clothing away from the flame).
• Sometimes grown-ups use candles because the power has gone out in a big storm, or because there is no electricity in the home. But Sparky wants to make sure that you and your family are safe from fire — even during an emergency. If the power does go out, use flashlights and lights that use batteries. Make sure to have extra batteries on hand.