Fire Safety Tips - Central County Fire Department

Central County Fire Department is committed to educating the public in simple ways to stay safe. We offer a variety of programs to educate our communities. Review the safety tips below for more information on how you can be fire smart. Fire Safety information also available in other languages.

Fall Fire Safety Tips

Fireplace and Home Fire Safety

More than one-third of Americans use fireplaces, wood stoves, and other fuel-fired appliances as primary heat sources in their homes. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the fire risks when heating with wood and solid fuels.

Heating fires account for 36% of residential home fires in rural areas every year. Often these fires are due to creosote buildup in chimneys and stovepipes. All home heating systems require regular maintenance to function safely and efficiently.

Keep Fireplaces and Wood Stoves Clean

Have your chimney or wood stove inspected and cleaned annually by a certified chimney specialist
Clear the area around the hearth of debris, decorations and flammable materials
Always use a metal mesh screen with fireplaces. Leave glass doors open while burning a fire
Install stovepipe thermometers to help monitor flue temperatures
Keep air inlets on wood stoves open, and never restrict air supply to fireplaces, otherwise, you may cause creosote buildup that could lead to a chimney fire
Use fire-resistant materials on walls around wood stoves

Safely Burn Fuels

Never use flammable liquids to start a fire
Use only seasoned hardwood. Soft, moist wood accelerates creosote buildup
Build small fires that burn completely and produce less smoke
Never burn cardboard boxes, trash or debris in your fireplace or woodstove
When building a fire, place logs at the rear of the fireplace on an adequate supporting grate
Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended. Extinguish the fire before going to bed or leaving the house
Soak hot ashes in water and place them in a metal container outside your home

Protect the Outside of Your Home

Stack firewood outdoors at least 30 feet away from your home
Keep the roof clear of leaves, pine needles and other debris
Cover the chimney with a mesh screen spark arrester
Remove branches hanging above the chimney, flues or vents

Protect the Inside of Your Home

Install smoke alarms on every level of your home. Test them monthly and change the batteries at least once a year. Consider installing the new long-life smoke alarms. Remember to call us when you need help checking your detector in those high ceilings.
Provide proper venting systems for all heating equipment
Extend all vent pipes at least three feet above the roof

Fire Safety While on Vacation

Wherever you plan to stay on vacation:
Hotel/Motel/AirBnB:
- Select a location with fire sprinklers and smoke/carbon monoxide alarms
- Check for an evacuation map for two ways out
Motor home/Camper/RV:
- Make sure working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are installed

For more seasonal safety tips, visit: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/outreach/

Source: USFA

Fall Weather Safety

This fall, get informed and be ready, responsive, and resilient to the hazards of extreme weather. Know your risk, take action, and be a force of nature!
National Weather Service’s Fall Weather Safety presentation features tips for dealing with fall hazards: drought, floods, fog, hurricanes, tsunamis, wind, wildfire, and winter weather.

https://www.weather.gov/wrn/fall-safety

Sign up for U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Recall Alerts

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was formed in 1972. The CPSC protects the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under its jurisdiction, including products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children.

Popular Services from Consumer Product Safety Commission:

Product Recalls
- - - - Sign up for product recall alerts here.

See product recall alert samples below.

Sign up for Spare the Air Alerts

Spare the Air was created in 1991 by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to alert residents when air quality is forecast to be unhealthy and to share information on ways to reduce air pollution.

From easy, everyday tools—such as commute tips—and air quality resources, such as explanations of major air pollutant sources and their health effects, Spare the Air focuses on educating and helping residents choose actions that will improve air quality and make the Bay Area a healthier, more enjoyable place to live.

Spare the Air encompasses seven full Bay Area counties as well as half of Solano and Sonoma counties. Counties are organized into five reporting zones, with the Air Quality Forecast Map showing the air quality forecast for the region. Sign up for alerts here.

Monthly Fire Safety Newsletter:

December 2022

CCFD TV

Fire is Everyone’s Fight	Fire Won’t Wait, Plan Your Escape!	Firefighters Say: Close Before You Doze!

Fire is everyone’s fight! Practice fire-safe cooking and install and maintain smoke alarms. Did you know? Three out of five home fire deaths result from fires in properties without working smoke alarms More than one-third (38 percent) of home fire deaths result from fires in which no smoke alarms are present. The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms. Source: nfpa.org	Your ability to get out of a home during a fire depends on early warning from smoke alarms and advance planning. Do you have a fire escape plan? Big thanks to Engine 32-B: Captain Bunnell, Firefighter/Paramedic Eversole, and Firefighter Houser for this fun and informative video. For more information, visit fpw.org.	Close Before You Doze – See the dramatic difference a door can make. Because of synthetic materials, furniture, and construction, fire spreads faster than ever before. Closing doors helps stop the spread of fire. ‘Close Before You Doze’ focuses on straightforward actions and simple behavioral changes which can provide critical help in delaying the spread of fire. This doesn’t require major effort or going out and buying anything.’ -Stephen Kerber Director, UL FSRI Closing your bedroom door while you sleep could save your life. Please watch this informative video on how quickly smoke and fire can spread. To learn more about the Close Before You Doze program, please visit the Underwriters Laboratories’ website at https://closeyourdoor.org/.

Fire is Everyone’s Fight

Fire Won’t Wait, Plan Your Escape!

Firefighters Say:
Close Before You Doze!

Fire is everyone’s fight! Practice fire-safe cooking and install and maintain smoke alarms.

Did you know?

Three out of five home fire deaths result from fires in properties without working smoke alarms
More than one-third (38 percent) of home fire deaths result from fires in which no smoke alarms are present.
The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms.

Source: nfpa.org

Your ability to get out of a home during a fire depends on early warning from smoke alarms and advance planning. Do *you* have a fire escape plan?

Big thanks to Engine 32-B: Captain Bunnell, Firefighter/Paramedic Eversole, and Firefighter Houser for this fun and informative video.

For more information, visit fpw.org.

Close Before You Doze – See the dramatic difference a door can make.

Because of synthetic materials, furniture, and construction, fire spreads faster than ever before. Closing doors helps stop the spread of fire.

‘Close Before You Doze’ focuses on straightforward actions and simple behavioral changes which can provide critical help in delaying the spread of fire. This doesn’t require major effort or going out and buying anything.’ -Stephen Kerber Director, UL FSRI

Closing your bedroom door while you sleep could save your life. Please watch this informative video on how quickly smoke and fire can spread.

To learn more about the Close Before You Doze program, please visit the Underwriters Laboratories’ website at https://closeyourdoor.org/.

Living With Sprinklers Information Sheet

Click to download

Fire Safety Planning

Fire Extinguisher Training

Central County Fire Department provides complimentary fire extinguisher training to any business or school within Burlingame or Hillsborough or Millbrae. Requests shall be made at least 2 weeks in advance and will only be approved under specific conditions. Please contact us at 650-558-7600 for more information.

Request CCFD for an Event (Public Education) (Please select appropriate event type on the form)