Municipal Affairs
December 18, 2015
Public Advisory: The 12 Days of Fire Safety � Day Eight
Seniors today enjoy improved health and greater activity. Yet, according to the National Fire Protection Association, seniors are twice as likely as the general population to be injured or killed in a home fire.
There are a number of important steps seniors, their families, and care providers can take to help reduce this risk, including:
- Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, as well as in every bedroom and in the hallway or room outside each sleeping area because most fatal fires occur when people are sleeping;
- If any resident has trouble hearing, install a visual smoke alarm that will alert the resident with lights or vibrations. Test alarms to ensure they can alert the individual;
- Keep a phone beside the bed and keep a list of emergency contacts (such as 911) and a flashlight handy;
- Consider using a night light in case you need to get up quickly in the dark;
- If possible, move the bedroom of anyone with limited mobility to the ground floor of the home to facilitate easier and more timely evacuation;
- Keep outside steps and walkways well lit, in good repair, and free of leaves or snow;
- Ensure that all residents are able to open any doors and windows in the home that may be used as an escape route during a fire or emergency; and
- Regularly practice your fire escape plan, keep hallways and stairs free of clutter that may be a tripping hazard, and know how to escape from every room in the home.
All residents of the province are invited to visit @FES_GovNL 
on Twitter during the 12 Days of Fire Safety to complete our fire safety quiz for the chance to win an emergency preparedness kit.
For more information about fire safety and emergency preparedness, visit the FES-NL website: www.gov.nl.ca/fes/index.html
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Media contact:
Ryan Crocker
Media Relations Manager
Fire and Emergency Services-Newfoundland and Labrador
709-729-0857, 709-690-1810
ryancrocker@gov.nl.ca
2015 12 18 2:15 p.m.