Fire Safety

How can I protect my home and family from a fire?

Most apartment fires are caused by grease on stoves, unsupervised children, or careless smoking. Tragedy can be prevented by practicing these home fire safety tips every day:

• Clean grease off of your stove so it can't catch fire while you are cooking.
• Don't leave food cooking if you can't be there to watch it.
• Never store flammable or combustible products in your unit.
• Never smoke a cigarette, pipe, or cigar in bed.

How do I avoid hidden fire dangers around my home?

Fires can be prevented by spotting dangerous items around your housing unit and taking action to make it safe. Here are a few suggestions about common hazards:

• Keep your TV set, stereo, kitchen appliances, switches, and electrical outlets in a safe condition. Replace frayed or broken plugs and cords.
• Don't run electrical cords under your rugs or where people walk.
• Move rags, paper, trash, and other materials which burn easily away from stoves, room heaters, water heaters, TV sets, and other appliances which get hot.
• Avoid leaving children alone at home where they can start fires by playing with matches, lighters, and candles.
• Don't overload electrical outlets. Each outlet is designed to safely handle only one lamp or appliance at a time. Overloaded circuits sometimes cause fires.
• Do not store ANYTHING in the water heater or furnace closets.
• Do not block access to the water heater or furnace closets.

How do I get out of my unit in case of a fire?

All exits must be clear so you can get out in case of a fire. The sliding side of bedroom windows must not be blocked by any furniture or obstruction that cannot be moved easily.

How does the smoke detector help protect my family?

All housing units have smoke detectors and are inspected at least annually for fire hazards. The alarm sometimes makes a loud, annoying noise during cooking or other normal activities. If this happens, open your windows and doors to let in the fresh air. Do not disconnect the smoke detector - this is grounds for termination of your lease!!

How do I take care of the smoke detector?

To alert your family during a fire, your smoke detector must be working at all times. If it has been damaged or covered up, it will not work when you need it most. False alarms may be caused by heavy smoke, steam, grease smoke from cooking, high room temperature, or insects that crawl inside. If you have repeated false alarms, call Maintenance to check your detector. Never take it apart yourself, cover it up or remove it.

Please do not tamper with smoke detectors in your unit or you will risk receiving a fine for tampering. All smoke detectors are tested by LRHC.