Burn Prevention

Around the House

• Keep matches and lighters in a high, locked cupboard.
• Discuss fire hazards with your children. Teach them that matches and lighters are not toys.
• Place floor heaters at least four feet away from furniture, curtains and bedding.
• Never place anything on top of an electrical heater or heater vent.
• Test smoke detectors monthly and change the batteries every six months.
• Replace your smoke detectors every eight to 10 years.
• Make a fire escape plan with a safe meeting place outside.
• Practice your plan each month.

In the Kitchen

• Keep a functional fire extinguisher in the kitchen (and garage).
• Contain grease fires with baking soda or flour, not water. Water can make a grease fire worse.
• Turn pot handles turned away from the edges of the stove. If possible, cook on the back burners.
• Coil appliance cords to prevent a child from pulling on them.
• Make the kitchen a “no zone” for children while cooking.
• Do not eat or drink hot food while holding a child.
• Do not use tablecloths around small children—they can pull the cloth, spill hot food on themselves.
• Do not let small children remove food or drinks from a microwave.

In the Bathroom

• Set your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees or less.
• Before bathing a child, stir the bath water with your hand to avoid hot spots. If the water is too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for the child.
• Stay with your child at all times near the tub or shower. It only takes a second for a child to turn on the hot water.