Safety Tips

We had a very informative Q&A with 4 of Tucson’s finest firefighters. Here are some of the safety tips that I remember. I will post them on the blog too. For those who remember more, please add that information on the blog too (and correct any mistakes I may have).
1. If you have a 2 story home and are trapped upstairs, close the door to the room you occupy and put a towel or blanket under the door crack (so that smoke can’t come in) and open the room windows. Wait for fire fighters and let the 911 dispatcher know that you are still in the house and what room you are in.
2. Also, if you have a 2 story home, it’s a good idea to invest in a roll ladder. I browsed online because I’m going to buy one for my house and found a site that sells them for not too much. Here’s the website: http://www.firstalertstore.com/store/catalog.asp?item=1215 It’s on sale for $33.99. I don’t know if that’s a good price, but I was thinking it would be at least $100 so I’m excited about that price.
3. The safest way to sleep is with the door closed.
4. If you see someone drowning call 911 first before attempting to rescue the person. Do not attempt rescue if you cannot swim, unless the person is in shallow water and you know you can stand up.
5. Scorpion and black widow stings/bites are not deadly like people are led to believe. They will hurt, but will not kill you. This is for the average person. Only people who specifically have an allergic reaction to these stings/bites should worry.
Call animal control regarding unwanted, large animals. The fire department deals with snakes only,
6. Rattlesnake bites are really bad… call 911 and get the person to the hospital as soon as possible. Same with brown recluse spider bites.
7. Change the batteries on your smoke alarms once a year.
8. Shake up your fire extinguishers once a month to keep the powder from clumping and it should last as long as you keep doing that.
9. Have an escape plan for your family, including a meeting place so that you will know if everyone is safely out of the house.