Welcome to the City of Meridian, MS

The following links are links to PDF files on fire safety.

The following links are links to videos on fire safety.

Major causes of home fires in Mississippi

Cooking
Cooking fires are the #1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Most cooking fires start when household items - such as clothing, food or grease, food wrappers, cabinets, or wall coverings - are accidentally set on fire.
Safety tips

Do not walk away from food cooking, grilling or frying on the stove.
Watch food that is cooking in the oven.
Keep stove area clear of anything that can catch on fire - roll up long sleeves and secure loose clothing.
Keep children and pets three feet away from hot stoves and ovens.
Use dry utensils and potholders.
While cooking at the stove, always keep an oven mitt and lid handy. DO NOT pour water on a grease fire - the fire will spread.
DO NOT spray a fire extinguisher onto a pan fire - the burning grease may be sprayed around the kitchen.
DO NOT try to put out an oil or grease fire that has spread from the cooking area. Get everyone out of the house and call the fire department from outside.

In case of a small fire on the stove
1.   Put on the oven mitt and slide the lid over the pan.
2.   Turn off the flame.
3.   Slide pan off of the burner.
4.   Do not take lid off of pan until it is cool.
5.   If burning oil overflows or fire spreads, get everyone out of the house.
6.   Call the fire department from outside of the house.

In case of fire in the oven
Turn off the oven and keep the door shut.
In case of fire in a microwave oven
Unplug the microwave oven.
Get everyone out the house and call the fire department if the fire spreads outside of the oven.
Do not use the microwave again until it has been serviced.

Home Heating
Home heating equipment causes many fires, especially in the winter. Chimneys and chimney connectors are to blame for more home heating fires than any other cause. Space heaters are the most deadly cause of home heating fires. Fires and fire deaths are often caused when clothes, furniture, sheets and blankets, or curtains are too close to a heater or fireplace.
Safety tips for space heaters

Make sure you buy a space heater with a label stating that it has been tested by an independent testing laboratory.
Make sure the space heater you buy is legal in your community.
Follow the instructions for installing your space heaters.
Plug your space heater directly into an outlet that has enough power. Do not use extension cords with space heaters.
Use the proper fuel for a liquid-fueled heater. Do not use gas if the heater is not approved for gasoline use. Wait until the heater is cool before adding more fuel.
Turn off space heaters when you leave the room and, if possible, at night

Safety tips for fireplaces and wood-burning stoves

Use dry, seasoned wood in your fireplace or wood stove.
Use only paper or kindling to start a fire; do not use lighter fluid or gasoline to start a fire in your fireplace or wood stove.
Do not use artificial logs in wood stoves.
Put a fireplace screen in front of your fire to prevent sparks from flying into the room.

General home heating safety tips

DO NOT use your oven to heat your home.
Install smoke alarms and test them monthly.
Protect yourself and your family from deadly carbon monoxide.
Make sure that fuel-burning equipment is properly vented to the outside
Install a carbon monoxide alarm outside of your sleeping area.
Keep clothes, blankets, couches, paper and other things that can catch fire three feet away from your space heaters or stoves.

Smoking
Smoking is the most deadly cause of fires at home. Even people who are not smoking die in fires caused by cigarettes. Most deadly fires caused by cigarettes happen at night when the smoker has fallen asleep with a lit cigarette. The first things to catch on fire with burning cigarettes are often mattresses, sheets or blankets, or other furniture. Lit cigarettes also cause fires if dropped on the ground, inside or outside, or into flower pots or waste baskets.

Safety tips

If you smoke, smoke outside
Use deep, wide ashtrays even outside
Do not smoke in bed or when you are very sleepy
Make sure that butts and ashes are out before you throw them away. Use water or sand to put them out
Check under couch and chair cushions and around furniture for fallen cigarette butts that may still be lit
Never smoke in a home where oxygen is being used
Stay alert. Smokers are sometimes less careful when they are also drinking alcohol or taking medicine or other drugs
Chose fire-safe cigarettes because they are less likely to cause fires
Keep matches and lighters away from children

Smoke Alarms
Fire protection in the home must start with smoke alarms. You will not smell the smoke of a fire when you are asleep. The poisonous gases which are present in the smoke will put you into a deeper sleep. During a fire, the smoke alarm will sound and give you the time you need to escape. A working smoke alarm cuts your risk of dying in a residential fire in half. Be sure to buy one that is approved by the ULC (Underwriter's Laboratory of Canada), or CSA (Canadian Standards Association). Even when you have smoke alarms installed, YOU MUST ensure they work. Statistics tell us that one-third of homes with smoke alarms that experience fires have smoke alarms that aren't working, and hundreds of people die each year in these fires. Most people who die in home fires are not in the room where the fire starts; working smoke alarms alert you to fire and give you time to escape in a situation where minutes can mean the difference between life and death.

Every home should have a smoke alarm outside each sleeping room and on every level of the home, including the basement. Be sure everyone sleeping in the home can hear the alarm even when bedroom doors are closed. If you normally sleep with bedroom doors closed, install a smoke alarm in each bedroom, especially if heaters or electrical appliances are used in these rooms. Most municipalities have by-laws that require smoke alarms be installed on each level of the home. Smoke alarms should be kept clean of dust by regularly vacuuming over and around them. Replace batteries in smoke alarms at least once a year. And replace the entire unit after ten years of service, or as the manufacturer recommends, BECAUSE SMOKE RISES, mount smoke alarms high on a wall or on the ceiling. Wall-mounted units should be mounted so that the top of the alarm is 6 to 12 inches from the ceiling. A ceiling mounted alarm should be at least 6 inches from the nearest wall. In a room with a pitched ceiling, mount the alarm at or near the ceiling's highest point. DON'T install a smoke alarm near a window, door, or forced-air register where drafts could interfere with the detector's operation.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Carbon Monoxide is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas, which is very toxic. Because you cannot see, taste, or smell it, carbon monoxide can kill you before you know it's there. Today's more energy efficient, airtight home designs contribute to the problem by trapping CO- polluted air inside the home.
Who is at risk?
Everyone is at risk. Carbon monoxide poisoning can happen to anyone at any time. Exposure seems to be more of a concern for unborn babies, infants, seniors, and people with coronary or respiratory problems.
Effects from poisoning!
CO poisoning is difficult to diagnose. Because its symptoms are similar to other common
illnesses,-such as the flu, carbon monoxide is often called the "Great Imitator". CO poisoning can cause headaches, fatigue, nausea, dizzy spells, and confusion.
Where do I put an alarm?
It is recommended that you install at least one detector within 40 feet of all rooms used for sleeping purposes. A second detector could also be located near the home's heating source as an extra measure of safety.

Fire Extinguishers
If used properly, a portable fire extinguisher can save lives and property by putting out a small fire or containing it until department arrives. It is important to know that fire extinguishers are not designed for use on large or spreading fires.
Even when used on small fires they are effective if you remember the following:
-The extinguisher must match (be rated) for the type of fire you are trying to extinguish.
-The operator must know how to use the extinguisher .
-You will not have time to read the instructions during an emergency.
-The extinguisher must be within easy reach and in good working order .
-You must have a CLEAR ESCAPE ROUTE from the fire area. Ask these questions before using the extinguisher .
-Will this fire extinguisher put out the fire?
-Have you alerted others about the fire?
-Have you called the Fire Department?
-What happens if I can't extinguish the fire?
WHEN IN DOUBT LEAVE THE FIRE AREA

What Should You Know
Fire is the third leading cause of deaths in North America. Becoming proactive about fire safety issues and some common sense can reduce your risk of exposure to a fire. Here are some additional tips:
-Knowing the alarm signal from your home smoke alarm or a building fire alarm is critical. How can you possibly know when there is an emergency condition if you do not know the alarm signal?
-Know your escape route. You must have at least two methods of exiting your home or building.
-Security bars installed on basement windows are a potential life-threatening hazard.
-Regularly inspect the home for fire hazards. If there are adults in the home who smoke, they should use heavy safety ashtrays and discard ashes and butts in metal, sealed containers or the toilet.
-If there is a fireplace in the home, the entire opening should be covered by a heavy safety screen. The chimney should be professionally inspected and cleaned annually.
-Children should cook only under adult supervision. Children should never play with electrical cords or electrical sockets. They should ask adults for help plugging in equipment.
-Children should stay away from radiators and heaters, and they should be taught that these devices are not toys. Young children in particular must be taught not to play or drop anything into space heaters. Nothing should be placed or stored on top of a heater.
-Pots on stovetops should always have their handles turned toward the center of the stove, where children cannot reach up and pull or knock them off.
-Teach children to turn off lights, stereos, TVs, and other electrical equipment when they are finished using them.
-In the case of room heaters, children should ask an adult to turn it off when the room will be empty.
-Children should never touch matches, lighters or candles. If they find matches or lighters within reach, they should ask an adult to move them.
-No one should stand too close to a fireplace or wood stove or other types of heaters, where clothes could easily catch fire.
-To cool a burn run cool water over a burn for 10 to 15 minutes. Never apply ice. It is dangerous to put butter or any other grease on a burn because it seals in the heat and can damage the tissue further. If the burned skin blisters or is charred, see a doctor immediately.
-Crawl low under smoke. During a fire, smoke and poisonous gases rise with the heat. The air is cleaner near the floor. If you encounter smoke or flames while you are escaping from a fire, use an alternative escape route. If you must escape through smoke, crawl on your hands and knees, keeping your head 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 centimeters) above the floor.
-Stop, Drop, and Roll. If your clothes catch fire, don't run. Stop where you are, drop to the ground, cover your face with your hands, and roll over and over to smother the flames.