Less Than Two Minutes

If a fire started in your home tonight, you might have less than two minutes to get out, and Deb Fleming wants to make sure you spend those minutes getting out instead of grabbing your laptop. Janet Michael sat down with Deb, Executive Director of the Greater Shenandoah Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, in the Secret Garden at the Espresso Bar on the Old Town Walking Mall to talk about home fire season, which runs from now through March as furnaces, space heaters, and fireplaces come back on.

Deb shares simple, budget-friendly steps that save lives: working smoke alarms on every level and in every bedroom, sleeping with your bedroom door closed, and an escape plan with a meeting place that everyone in the house has practiced. She also explains how to plan for kids, pets, and family members with mobility needs, why yellowed smoke alarms need to go, and how to get free alarms installed by the Red Cross. Plus, a space heater story you won't forget and a pillowcase trick you'll want to try tonight. Listen, then take a walk through your own home.

LINKS & RESOURCES

American Red Cross: redcross.org Red Cross home fire safety tips: redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/fire.html To request a free smoke alarm installation or home fire safety visit: call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) Deb's home fire safety tips (as promised on air):

Install working smoke alarms on every level of your home and in every bedroom, near the kitchen but not in it. Test your alarms. Replace any alarm more than 10 years old (a yellowed alarm is a sign it's time). Sleep with your bedroom door closed. Make an escape plan with two ways out of every room, and make sure your windows open. Pick a meeting place outside and practice your plan with everyone in the home, including kids and anyone with mobility or sensory needs. Give kids a job: get out, wait for the firefighters, and tell them who or what is still inside. Know where your pets hide when the alarm sounds so you can tell the fire department. Don't go back in. If an alarm keeps going off and you can't find the cause, call your fire department's non-emergency number. Don't overload outlets or plug space heaters into power strips. Check for loose plugs and burn marks. Never leave candles burning unattended, and blow them out before bed. Don't smoke in bed. Put hot ashes and cigarette butts in a metal container away from the house. Clear clutter. It blocks your way out and fuels a fire. Kee