NFPA releases home fire report

Quincy, MA – Fire departments responded to an annual average of 373,900 home structure fires between 2005 and 2009, according to a report released June 29 by the National Fire Protection Association. On average, home fires resulted in 2,650 civilian deaths and 12,890 civilian injuries annually.

NFPA offers the following fire safety tips:

• Stay in the kitchen when cooking. If you must leave the room, turn off the stove.
• Keep space heaters 3 feet from anything that can burn. Turn them off when you leave the room or go to sleep.
• Smoke outside, and keep matches and lighters out of reach of children.
• Replace electrical cords that are damaged or have broken plugs or loose connections.
• Keep candles at least 1 foot from anything that can burn. Blow them out when you leave the room or go to sleep.
• Create a home fire escape plan and practice it at least twice annually.
• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Interconnect them so that when one sounds, they all sound.
• Test smoke alarms at least once a month and replace batteries once a year. Replace alarms that are more than 10 years old.