Fire and Life Safety for Seniors

We welcomed Sr. Inspector Tom Petty and his dog Cinder of the Harris County Fire Marshalls Office to share with us some very important safety tips. We learned about several things to look for around the house to prevent falls, to do our fire escape planning, and in general making conscious decisions to do everyday tasks safely. Tom answered our questions and provided great insights.

One takeaway was if you have a fire extinguisher in your house, learn how to use it by actually using it; take a class somewhere. If not, call 911. You need to answer Yes to each one of these questions before trying to put out a fire yourself with an extinguisher:

1. Is it the right type of extinguisher?
2. Has '911' been called?
3. Are people leaving the building?
4. Is extinguisher charged and in good working order?
5. Are you confident in fighting the fire?
6. Is fire small enough to use the extinguisher?
7. Do you have an exit behind you to get out?

Meet Tom Petty and Cinder.