- Prevention and safety information to help Americans stay safe from fire.
- Fire prevention resources for America’s career and volunteer Fire Service.
- Coloring pages, puzzles and games that teach kids how to stay safe from fire.
Older Homes
Media stories can save lives! A news story about a residential fire provides a valuable opportunity to give your community a safety message during a teachable moment. Drop in these prevention tips and facts, and you just might save a life.
All U.S. homes should have working smoke alarms.
Fires can be prevented. A few easy steps can save your life!
- If your smoke alarms are more than 10 years old, replace them.
- Check your older appliances. Repair frayed or worn cords, or replace the appliance.
- Have an electrician inspect your home's wiring.
- Replace any old, 2-hole outlets with 3-hole outlets.
- Install GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlets in kitchens and bathrooms.
- If you need more outlets in a room, have an electrician add more. Don't use extension cords as permanent wiring.
- Consider having an electrician replace your circuit breakers with arc fault circuit interrupters. They protect against sparks that can occur in aging wiring systems.
- If you can't afford to improve your home's entire electrical system, do it in stages. Fix the most dangerous problems first.
Older Home Fire Facts
- Electrical fires are three times more likely to occur in homes more than 40 years old than in homes 11 to 20 years old.
- Half of the homes in the United States are 50 years old or older.
- Aging wiring systems may not be able to keep up with today's power demands.