Fire Safety
City News
The leading causes of fire in the home are cooking (which leads to the most fires and injuries), heating equipment, and electrical. Fires caused by smoking materials and heating equipment are the leading cause of home fire deaths.
In 2006, U.S. fire departments responded to almost 400,000 home structure fires.
In 2006, home fire killed 2,580 people.
Home fires killed on average 7 people every day in 2006.
In 2006, 12,500 fire injuries from home fires were reported to U.S. fire departments.
65% of reported home fire deaths occurred in homes with either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
December and January are the peak months for home structure fire and deaths.
Cooking Safety Tips
- Pay attention to your cooking. Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or boiling food. If you must leave the room for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
- If you have young children use the stove’s back burners whenever possible.
- Keep children and pets at least 3 feet away from the stove.
- Home fires killed on average 7 people every day in 2006.
- In 2006, 12,500 fire injuries from home fires were reported to U.S. fire departments.
- Open microwave food slowly. Hot steam escaping from the container can cause painful burns.
Smoking Safety Tips
- Designate a smoking area outside the home.
- Provide smokers with deep sturdy ashtrays.
- Keep smoking materials away from anything that can burn, like mattresses, bedding, and upholstered furniture.
- Choose fire-safe cigarettes.
Heating Safety Tips
- Keep space heaters at least 3 feet from people and from anything that can burn, such as curtains
- Turn space heaters off when you go to bed and leave the room.
- Have heating equipment professionally inspected and serviced every year.
- Have your chimneys cleaned and inspected before each heating season.
Electrical Safety Tips
- Avoid overloading receptacles.
- Replace or repair loose or frayed cords on all electrical devices.
- Plug only one high –wattage appliance at a time into a receptacle outlet.
- Avoid running extension cords across doorways or under carpets.
- Install arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) to protect electrical outlets. AFCIs protect against fire by continuously monitoring the electrical current in a circuit and shutting off the circuit when unintended arcing occurs.
- Install ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) electrical outlets in kitchens, bathrooms, outdoor areas, basements, and garages. GFCIs greatly reduce the risk of shock by shutting off an electrical circuit when the circuit could be a sock hazard.
For more tips & information, visit fireSafety.gov.
Public Education Programs are presented to the general public throughout the year at no charge. A variety of activities and programs are designed to meet the needs of different age groups and organizations. The Pharr Fire Department provides the following programs and activities:
| General Fire Safety | Fire Safety House | Fire Truck Demonstration |
| Burn pan demonstration | Home Fire Safety | Parade |
| Block Party | Safety in the Workplace | Career Day |
| Hotel / Motel Fire Safety | Health Fair | Fire Drill |
| Fire Extinguisher Training | Fire Prevention for Schools | Station Tour |
To schedule a Fire Prevention Presentation fill out the forms below, or contact us at:
Pharr Fire – Rescue
Fire Prevention Division
118 S Cage Blvd., 3rd Floor
Pharr, Texas 78577
Tel: (956) 402-4400 / Fax: (956) 475-3433
Email: [email protected]
Fire Prevention Presentation Form