Fire Safety Tips

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has joined with the Fire Safety Council to help you assess the threat of fire danger in your home.  To access this website, click here.  The site has the latest information, prevention tips and even a special interactive page so that children can learn about fire safety.

Home Safety Check List

For a home fire safety checklist, so that you can conduct your own fire safety audit, click here.

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How To Report A Fire

1. Go to a safe phone, away from the smoke and fire.  If you wake up inside a house on fire, first shout and get out, second go to your meeting place (such as a neighbor’s porch), and third call 911
2.  
3. Say that there’s a fire.
4. Say the address of the fire.  If the fire is at a neighbor’s house and you don’t know the address, give them your own address.
5. Give your name and phone number.
6. Stay calm and speak clearly.
7. Stay on the phone.

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Reporting Fire Hazards

Please report any fire hazards or fire code violations to the Fire Marshal's Office at 214-987-5380.

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Clearly Marked Addresses

Proper addressing will assist your fire department in promptly dealing with your emergencies.
 

• Paint 4-inch numbers on the curbing in front of your home.
• Place numbers that are at least 4 inches tall near the front entrance (or a location easily visible from the street) in a color contrasted by the color of your home.
• For apartments and other buildings with multiple occupancies, mark each separate occupant’s number.

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Unobstructed Fire Hydrants

• It is dangerous and a violation of fire code to obstruct in any way the visibility, access, or use of a fire hydrant.
• Please ensure that fire hydrants in your area are clearly visible and are not being hidden by shrubs, vehicles or debris.
• A minimum of three-feet of clear space shall be maintained around the circumference of the fire hydrant.

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What To Do When Lights And Sirens Approach

• When you are in the right lane, pull onto the right shoulder if there is room and stop or at least slow way down if you are on an open high-speed road.
• When you are in the left lane and traffic in the right lane is moving onto the shoulder, move right into their lane.
• If you cannot go right because of an obstacle, the next best thing is to stop.  The driver of an emergency vehicle can then anticipate where to move his vehicle. 
• When you are at an intersection with a stop sign or red light and a response vehicle is coming up behind you, stay where you are if you cannot pull to the right.
• If you are on a one-way street, pulling to the right is still best, but sometimes, due to traffic, you may pull to the left curb and yield the middle lane(s).

 

DO NOT:

• Drive through a red light or stop sign when an emergency vehicle approaches from behind.
• Make a left turn quickly to a driveway or street.
• Race ahead to get through a green light or turn before the response vehicle gets there.
• Disregard and continue to travel despite the response vehicle.

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What To Do If You Smell Natural Gas 

If you suspect a natural gas leak on your property, stop what you’re doing, leave the premises, and call 911.
 

Leak Detection

Smell – Because natural gas is odorless, colorless, and tasteless, a distinctive, sulfur-like, rotten egg odor is added so you can detect even small amounts of natural gas. 
Sound - In addition to the smell, pay attention to hissing, whistling or roaring sounds coming from underground or from a gas appliance.
Sight - Be aware of dirt spraying into the air, continual bubbling in a pond or creek, and dead or dying vegetation in an otherwise moist area.

Other leak indicators - The stovetop’s blue flames suddenly turn orange or yellow (discolored flames indicate the appliance is not working properly).  An excessive amount of ash or soot around a pilot light could signal a larger problem. 

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Smoke Detector Safety Tips

• Install a smoke detector on each level of your home.
• Never remove a good battery or otherwise disable the detectors.
• Know what to do after a detector sounds off.
• Plan a home escape route in the event of a fire.

Smoke Detector Video

In November 2012 UPFD assisted CBS 11 News with a feature story that evaluated alarm response for photoelectric and ionization style smoke detectors.  To view the story, click here 
 

Tips for Planning a Home Fire Escape Plan

Home Escape Plan Grid

After the Fire Checklist