What does a savvy senior do when her house is on fire?

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Jim Miller of NewsOK has a Savvy Seniors column wherein he offers tips for senior adults who are caught in house fires. 

Did you know that individuals who are older than 65 are more than twice as likely to die in a house fire as someone younger?  And that individuals who are over the age of 84 are more than 4 times as likely?  This according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

The most important aspect of fire safety is prevention.  Here are a few basic tips.

• Never smoke in bed and extinguish your cigarette at the first sign of drowsiness.
• Never leave food cooking unattended.  When cooking, be sure that your clothes fit properly and there is not excess fabric.  When you have finished cooking, be sure to turn of the stove and/or oven.
• Make sure that space heaters are kept at least 3 feet away from anything that might burn and that they are turned off before you go to bed.
• Make sure that fireplaces are covered with a sturdy metal or glass screen that will trap sparks and rolling logs.

Also, you want to be sure to have a working smoke alarm on each level of your home.  Make sure that the batteries are changed at least once a year.  If you are hearing-impaired, there are companies that sell smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that work with flashing strobe lights and bed vibrators to alert you in case of a problem.  You can also consider installing a home security system that will alert police and fire departments automatically if there is a fire.

To read more about this subject, visit our catalog.

Be safe.