Take 2 Simple Steps To Help Protect Your Family

(NAPSI)—Many people may not realize that it only takes two minutes for a house to be engulfed in flames. The American Red Cross and its Home Fire Campaign partners are asking everyone across the country to take the following two simple steps to help decrease the risk of home fires and save lives:

1. Create and practice your 2-minute drill. Have at least two ways to escape from every room. Select an outside meeting spot at a safe distance where family members can meet. Discuss the plan with everyone in the household and practice it until everyone can escape in less than two minutes. Conduct practice drills at least twice a year.

2. Install and maintain smoke alarms. Working smoke alarms halve your risk of dying in a home fire. Put them on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms. Test the alarms monthly and change the batteries when needed. Never disable a smoke alarm. Teach children what an alarm sounds like and what to do if they hear one.

For a Home Fire Safety Checklist and worksheets to create your 2-minute drill go to redcross.org/fire. You can also download, for free, the Red Cross Emergency App for instant access to home fire safety tips and the Monster Guard App for an interactive game that teaches children about home fire safety and prevention at redcross.org/apps.

On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)