If you are in a building and it feels too crowded – leave

Posted by on Mar 18, 2013 in For kids and families, For the fire service, News, public education, Safety Tips |

I just read an article in this morning’s Boston Globe about a grand opening celebration for Restoration Hardware (RH) in Boston. The beautiful building on Berkeley Street has been totally remodeled. A packed grand opening party on March 6th over crowded the store with invitations sent to 5,000 people. People on the first floor of the building could hardly move. Invited guests were entering through the main entrances as well as the catering entrance. Fortunately, by 7:30 pm, the Boston police and fire officials were at the store closing down the event before a tragedy happened. This is a reminder for everyone: when you enter a public building, if it feels overcrowded and you do not feel safe, leave immediately. Check out our Safety in Places of Public Assembly safety tips sheet which has reminders for people to consider when entering any public assembly building – including...

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Sparky’s cootie catcher game; fun for all

Posted by on Mar 15, 2013 in Activities, For kids and families, For teachers, For the fire service, Games, Great ideas, Photos, public education, Safety Tips, Sparky the Fire Dog |

Looking for something fun to do with the kids? Check out Sparky's cootie catcher. Print, fold and play. It is that easy. Get your fortune, jokes and since it is Sparky's cootie catcher, you might just find some fire-safety messages included. The cootie catcher is great for getting kids engaged. You can use for school visits, open houses, scout troops, after school programs and even parties. Let us know what you think and how you use the...

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Stay in the kitchen when cooking on the stove top!

Posted by on Mar 11, 2013 in For kids and families, For the fire service, News, public education, Safety Tips |

Last weekend I celebrated my birthday with my family at my favorite Italian restaurant in the North End of Boston – Ristorante Limoncello. While eating some wonderful bread with olive oil and parmesan cheese, I heard sirens and saw red lights flashing against the buildings on the narrow street. Two engines arrived and stopped right in front of the restaurant. Of course, I was interested in what was going on. I excused myself from the table and went outside to speak to a couple of the fire fighters. They told me it was in an apartment and probably something on the stovetop. From the response of the fire fighters, it seemed like this was a routine occurrence. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of kitchen fires. Please keep an eye on what you fry. Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling or broiling food. Check out our cooking safety tips sheet. It has good information that just might keep you fire safe in the kitchen. The fire department left the scene and my dinner celebration...

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We hope you changed your smoke alarm batteries while you “sprang forward” this weekend

Posted by on Mar 11, 2013 in Safety Tips |

THVN4F4H7Q38  To kick off Daylight Savings Time, clocks “sprang forward” at 2am Sunday morning. NFPA wants to remind everyone that this might also be a good time to change the batteries in all of your home's smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.  To stay safe, replacing batteries in all smoke alarms should be done at least once a year, but changing them while changing all of your clocks serves as a great reminder. In addition, smoke alarms should be tested once a month and if an alarm “chirps”, warning the battery is low, replace the battery right away. For more smoke alarm safety tips, check out our downloadable tip sheet.                                         ...

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Have NFPA public education materials saved a life in your community or family?

Posted by on Mar 5, 2013 in For kids and families, For teachers, For the fire service, Great ideas, News, public education, Remembering When, Safety Tips, Sparky the Fire Dog |

The public education division is busy creating more materials for you to use in your community. Some of the resources you will find on nfpa.org include our educational programs. The Learn Not to Burn® Preschool Program, Learn Not to Burn® Grade 1 and Remembering When™: a fire and fall prevention program for older adults provide you with everything you need to implement a formal educational program. Our safety tips sheets have been so successful, we keep adding more. The community kits provide everything you need to do an outreach program including media materials, print ads, talking points and safety tips sheets. If you plan to reach people with disabilities, we have created resources for you to use. And, Sparky® the Fire Dog’s website is updated monthly with new fun things to do. With all these great resources available, we hope you are using them. Has your use of the materials helped save a life in your community or family? Did a family practice their home fire drill and have to use it in an actual emergency situation? Did someone learn about fall prevention in a Remembering When presentation and have grab bars installed in their shower? Did someone install smoke alarms in their home because you provided them with our smoke alarm safety tips sheet? Did a game on Sparky’s website get your family to test their smoke alarms? We want to hear from you. Let us know how our materials made a difference. You can be a safety...

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New safety tip sheet: Outdoor electrical safety

Posted by on Mar 4, 2013 in Safety Tips |

We've just published a brand new safety tip sheet on outdoor electrical safety!It's important to remember that lighting to improve the look and safety of our homes, electric tools to make our outdoor work easier, and power lines to our home, all need to be handled with care. Here are some examples of the safety tips: Outside electrical work: Have a qualified electrician do all electrical work. To prevent an electrical shock, make sure all your outside electrical receptacles are GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) protected. Equipment safety: Use lighting and power tools that have the label of an independent test laboratory and made for outdoor use. Keep electric tools away from children. Check lighting and extension cords for damage before using. Replace any damaged cords right away.  Power lines: Have a professional tree cutting service trim branches that might fall on electric woring.  Keep the ladder at least 10 feet away from power lines.  Never touch anyone or anything in contact with a downed wire. Power lines may be live, stay a safe distance away.  Download the full safety tip sheet with NFPA safety tips on outdoor...

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