It’s easy to think you know how to prevent fires. You’ve heard it all — except for one thing. You won’t know what that is until you have checked this page. It might be the one thing that keeps your home from burning and saves your family from injury or worse. So read on! Smoke Alarms: A sound you can live with! That’s the theme for Fire Prevention Week at Safekids.com. Check the smoke alarms to see what type of batteries they use. Buy new ones and install them. Don’t wait until an alarm beeps to indicate a low battery. Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas. Do it now, not some other time. Think ahead to prevent kitchen fires Turn the stove off if you are interrupted while cooking. If you have to go to the door, talk on the phone, or solve a problem in another room, turn the stove off before you leave the kitchen. Keep flammables far away from the stove, including pot holders, insulated gloves, dish towels and newspapers. Make a fire escape plan, then practice it. Make sure everyone knows how to dial 911 and say your address. Be sure windows used as secondary exits are easy to open. Practice crawling in smoke and moving to your designated meeting area outside. Make all family members show how they will “Stop, Drop and Roll” if their clothing catches on fire. Be cautious with fire extinguishers Never attempt to put out a fire yourself unless you are trained to do so. Even then, the fire must be confined to a small area and not growing. Everyone should already be out of the building and the fire department should be on the way. When using a fire extinguisher, remember the word PASS: P is pull the pin. Hold the nozzle away from you. A is for Aim. Aim low. Point the extinguisher at the base of the fire. S is for squeeze. Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly. S is for sweep. Sweep the nozzle from side to side. Get out and stay out Resolve to do it yourself. No going back to get something valuable even if that part of the house doesn’t appear to be involved in the fire. Storing propane cylinders Never store an LP cylinder indoors. When storing outside, stand it upright in an area where the temperature will not reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Always check for gas leaks when you disconnect and reconnect the regulator to the LP cylinder. Carbon monoxide kills Carbon monoxide detectors are good to have, but are not substitutes for smoke alarms. If your CO detector sounds an alarm, open doors and windows immediately and move to fresh air. Use generators and devices powered by propane, natural gas or charcoal outside. If you use them in an attached garage, even with the door open, carbon monoxide will seep into the house. Make sure everyone in your home knows the difference between the sound of the CO detector and the smoke alarm.