10 Simple Home Fire Safety Tips:

1. Practice smoke-alarm maintenance for a simple, effective way to reduce home fire deaths.
2. A simple reminder from the International Association of Fire Chiefs and Energizer Max^® brand batteries: When you change your clocks, change the battery in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. This can help save lives.
3. Test your smoke alarms monthly to make sure they are working.
4. Have at least one working smoke alarm on each level of your home.
5. Plan, discuss and practice a fire escape route with your family.
6. Do not rely on your sense of smell to alert you that you and your family are in danger of being trapped during a fire.
7. Be sure not to ignore the chirping sound your smoke alarm makes when maintenance is required.
8. Keep fire-starting materials away from children, including lighters, matches, cigarettes/cigars, etc.
9. Use flashlights rather than candles to light your home during power outages.
10. Space heaters need space. Portable space heaters need a three-foot (one meter) clearance from anything that can burn and should always be turned off when leaving the room or going to sleep.

Summer Fire Safety

Click the links below for helpful summer-season safety tips:

• Fireworks
• Grilling
• Lightning

Winter Fire Safety

More fires happen in the winter months than any other time of the year. During the cold months, we spend more time indoors and use different methods to heat our homes, and it’s more important than ever to be mindful of fire safety. Please review the helpful tips below with your household members.

If you are using a...

PORTABLE HEATER: Make sure the heater has an automatic shut-off so if it tips over, it shuts off; Keep anything flammable (e.g. bedding, clothing, curtains) at least 3 feet away from the heater; Plug portable heaters directly into wall outlets. Never use an extension cord or power strip; Turn heaters off when you go to bed or leave the room. 

FIREPLACE: Keep a glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace to prevent embers or sparks from jumping out and starting a fire; Do not burn paper in your fireplace; Before you go to sleep or leave your home, put the fire out completely; Put ashes in a metal container with a lid. Store the container outside at least 3 feet from your home. 

WOOD STOVE: Have your chimney inspected and cleaned each year by a professional; Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from the stove; Do not burn paper in your wood stove; Before you go to sleep or leave your home, put the fire out completely. 

CARBON MONOXIDE SAFETY

When heating your home, you need to be aware of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide, (CO), is called the “invisible killer” because it’s a colorless, odorless, and poisonous gas. Each year, 150+ people in the U.S. die from accidental CO poisoning from generators or fuel-burning appliances - e.g. furnaces, stoves, water heaters, and fireplaces. Breathing CO at high levels can kill you. To provide an early warning of increasing CO levels, install CO alarms in a central location outside of each sleeping area and on every level of your home’s interior. As always, make sure you also have a smoke alarm on every level of your home, inside bedrooms, and outside sleeping areas. Test your alarms monthly. Have a home fire escape plan and practice your plan at least twice a year. Make sure everyone knows how to escape your home if there is a fire. 

Clear Snow from Sidewalks & Fire Hydrants!

Property owners are obligated to clear snow from the sidewalks on their property. While no such regulations govern the clearing of fire hydrants, the Glastonbury Fire Marshal and Fire Department ask residents to please do their part in clearing snow from these vital areas in a timely manner following storm events. In a fire response, the time required to clear snow can mean the difference between crucial seconds or minutes needed to save a structure and its inhabitants. 

When clearing snow each winter, keep in mind that Firefighters need access to roughly one (1) foot of space below the hydrant valve, and another two (2) feet of space all around a fire hydrant. The work of only a few minutes may later prove vital to you/your neighbors’ safety!

Public Education

The Fire Marshal’s Office is responsible for educating the public on fire safety and prevention. Staff provide many hours of education to local students/youth on fire prevention. During the month of October, children in nursery school, kindergarten, and first grade visit the four firehouses to be educated on the importance of fire prevention. The Fire Marshals also bring the fire prevention message "on the road" by visiting local schools and day care centers.

Teaming up with the Board of Education, the Fire Marshals run the State Fire Prevention Poster Contest in the schools. The contest is open to all 4th and 5th grade students.

Working closely with senior citizen housing in Town, staff assists with conducting fire drills at senior housing complexes and provides fire safety tips for the residents.

The Fire Marshals also take part in several civic events held in Town and speak to local community organizations on the importance of fire prevention and fire safety. 

Additional Resources

Children's Worksheet and Coloring Page

Home Escape Plan Grid

Public Safety Announcement Video Regarding Lithium Ion Batteries - View Video on YouTube