Another important item to consider when evaluating your fire safety equipment is if your smoke detector(s) are less than 10 years of age. Is there any damage to the unit(s)? A tip that Oakland Park Fire Rescue offers residents is to “get in the habit of putting a masking tape date of when the batteries were last changed”. This will help ensure that your smoke detector always has functioning batteries.

When using and storing flammables (e.g., pesticides, fertilizers, paint, gasoline) be mindful and make sure to store away from any source of heat or flame and if you’re a smoker, remember that you should never smoke near flammable liquids. When cooking, “Keep an Eye on what you Fry”. Oakland Park Fire Rescue suggests wearing “short sleeves or roll them up so they don’t catch fire”. They also note that “if a pan does catch fire, slide a lid over it and turn off the burner and never throw water on a grease fire EVER!!”