If you smoke, put it out. All the way. Every time. Smoking & Home Fires: A campaign to prevent the #1 cause of home fire deaths. United States Fire Administration 16825 South Seton Avenue Emmitsburg, MD 21727 www.usfa.dhs.gov/smoking (English) www.usfa.dhs.gov/fumar (Spanish) Talking Points for Community Presentations 1. Smoking is the number one cause of home fire deaths in the United States. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) is sponsoring the Smoking & Home Fires Campaign along with thirteen national partners. 2. The mission of this campaign is to educate smokers and those who live with smokers on how they can prevent fires caused by smoking materials in their homes. With this information, people can stop the fire before it starts. 3. This is not an anti-smoking campaign. The fire community recognizes that as long as people continue to smoke, they should also take steps to prevent fires caused by smoking. 4. About 1,000 people are killed every year in their homes by fires caused by cigarettes and other smoking materials. These fires could easily be prevented with just a few simple steps. 5. If you or someone in your family smokes, the USFA and its partners encourage you to… Put It Out. All the Way. Every Time. 6. Smoking fires are especially dangerous since the victims are closer to the source of the fire, thus they are harder to save. 7. Most smoking fires start on beds, furniture, or in trash. Many smoking related fire deaths are caused by the victim falling asleep while smoking. 8. According to the USFA, 25% of people killed in smoking related fires are not the actual smokers themselves; 34% of these victims were the children of the smokers; and 25% were neighbors or friends of the smokers. 9. These fires can be prevented by taking a few simple measures such as: • Using ashtrays with a wide and stable base. If it wobbles, it won’t work. • If you do smoke, smoke outside. • Put out cigarettes in an ashtray or can filled with sand. • Check for cigarette butts under sofa cushions and on and behind furniture. • Never smoke in a home where oxygen is used. • Use fire-safe cigarettes that are less likely to cause fires. • Make sure your cigarette is fully out, especially if you are drowsy due to medicine or alcohol • The most important thing to remember is to make sure the cigarette is fully extinguished. • Run ashes and butts under water before throwing them away. • Put It Out. All the Way. Every Time. 10. The USFA and its partners also encourage you to practice general fire safety by: • Place properly installed and maintained smoke alarms on every level of your home. • Using “dual sensor” smoke alarms that can sense slow, smoldering fires as well as fast burning, flaming fires. • Checking the batteries at least once a year. • Planning two ways to escape from every room and practicing the escape plan with everyone in the home. 11. The 13 organizations that are in partnership with the USFA’s Smoking & Home Fires Campaign include: • American Fire Sprinkler Association • BIFMA International (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association • Burn Foundation • Center for Campus Fire Safety • Fire and Life Safety Section (part of IAFC) • Florida Association of Fire and Life Safety Educators (FAFLSE) • Home Safety Council • International Association of Fire Chiefs • National Association of Hispanic Firefighters • National Fallen Firefi ghters Foundation • Polyurethane Foam Association • Residential Fire Safety Institute • Safe Kids Worldwide For more information and to download additional campaign materials visit www.usfa.dhs.gov/smoking. The U.S. Fire Administration is a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror. USFA Publications Information: FA-309 / June 2007