I thought that I would give you a miniature “How to” manual when it comes to some of the fires or problems that may occur in your home. Of course, the best way to never have to use any of these things that I am about to tell you is to never have a fire. However, since a fire or other problem in the home often occurs when we least expect it, here are some scenarios and tips on how to handle them.

• You are using your oven for baking and the sparks start flying or you see a flame inside your oven. The first thing to make sure of is that the oven door is closed. Make sure that you do not open it. Then, be sure to cut the oven off. If your house has smoke in it, open a door or window and turn on some fans. If necessary, call 911.
• You are cooking on the stovetop and a pan of grease catches on fire. The first thing to do is to put a lid on the pan, preferably something bigger than the pan that is on fire. If you can safely do so, turn the burners off. If you cannot do this safely, turn the power off at you breaker box. Do not attempt to take the pan outside! Moving the pan may knock the top off and the fire could re-ignite. You may also spill some of the oil on yourself and get seriously burned. Also, turn your exhaust fan off.
• An electrical outlet in your house starts smoking. You must go to the breaker box and turn the power off to that particular outlet. How do you know that you have found the right breaker? Either the fire will go out, or your breaker box was properly marked.
• You smell the odorant that is added to natural gas or propane to alert you when there is a leak. You will want to make sure that all of your pilot lights are lit. If any of them are out then you will need to re-light them, if you know how. If there is any doubt and you know where the gas shut-off is, then shut it off. Remember, once your gas is shut off at the meter, when the gas is turned back on by the gas company all of the pilots have to be re-lit.
• If a fire occurs in a room in your house and you cannot extinguish it with your fire extinguisher, shut the door to the room, get your family out and stay out, and call 911. Keep in mind, fire extinguishers are for small fires when used by a novice, and you are a novice.

These are only a few things that could happen in your home. If at any time you cannot figure out what is burning or how to deal with it, then get out and call 911. Even if you have taken care of the problem and just want to be assured that everything is okay, call 911.