Byram Twp Fire Department

Fire Safety for the Holidays

Smoke Detector Inspection
Dryer Fires
Fire Hazards
Winter Fire Safety

Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Smoke Alarm Placement
Candle Danger
Fire Prevention in your Home
Fire Safety Suggestions

 


 

Fire Prevention

Are you interested in a tour of the fire house, or you want the fire department to visit your group or organization email the Fire Prevention Bureau today.

Fire Prevention at the Byram Schools
H. Garrison		 Fire Prevention Officer Chuck Putz demonstrates various fire equipment to Students.  Chuck is assisted by other Byram Fire personnel.  If you are interested in having the fire department give your group a tour or come to your location please email us. firehouse@byramfd.com

more photos

New Smoke Detectors for Fall of 2004

2004 Open House Pictures  click here

Key Points for Kids
 Follow these safety tips to make your home safe.

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.  To get started, download this easy to use escape plan grid (PDF*, 464 KB).
  • 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 house 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 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 (and possibly knocking yourself out), 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. 

Sound the alarm

  • Your home should have smoke alarms on every level (even the basement). It's especially important to have them inside or near every sleeping area.
  • Do the batteries in the smoke alarms work? Have a grown-up test them once a 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.
  • 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 escape plan.
  • When the alarm sounds, get out. Always assume that the alarm means a real fire and follow your escape plan.

Keep fires from starting

  • If food is cooking on the stove, make sure that a grown-up is always in the kitchen.
  • Keep the stove clear of anything that could catch on fire: paper, towels, curtains, or pot-holders.
  • Make the area around the stove a "kid-free zone." No kids or pets within three feet (one metre) of the stove when grown-ups are cooking!
  • 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.
  • Make sure that grown-ups blow out any candles when they leave the room. Also, be sure that candleholders are big and deep enough to catch dripping wax, and can keep the candles from tipping over. Most important: never, ever have candles in kids' bedrooms.
  • 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 ash trays.
  • Keep matches and lighters out of sight and reach of kids—preferably in a locked 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.

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