What would you do if fire broke out in your home? Are you prepared? Some answers at a recent Potomac Community Village meeting

Are you prepared for a fire emergency? Jim Resnick, program manager, Senior Outreach and Education, of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service offered fire prevention tips at Potomac Community Village’s March 19 meeting.

To illustrate, Mr. Resnick showed several dilapidated smoke detectors found during home inspections, and he recommended we purchase battery-only operated smoke alarms powered by sealed-in 10-year-life batteries. The new Maryland smoke alarm law requires homeowners to install such smoke alarms by Jan. 1, 2018. One such smoke alarm must be mounted on each level of your home, and, starting in 2018 an additional smoke alarm must be installed inside each sleeping quarter regularly in use. Smoke alarms should be mounted high on a wall or the ceiling since smoke rises.

Once you buy these new smoke alarms, please read the installation instructions and the entire user manual carefully, he urged. Even if you have a home security service that includes fire alarms, he recommended adding battery operated ones. Mr. Resnick passed around several recommended smoke alarms for inspection.

He also recommended carbon monoxide alarms particularly in or near bedrooms because monoxide has no odor; the gas spreads evenly and therefore the alarm can be mounted high or low. They can be plugged into a wall outlet or be battery operated. Dual fire/CO alarms operated by batteries, are also available. Dual alarms should be installed high, like smoke-only alarms.

If a CO alarm goes off, get out immediately and call 911, he said. Do not open doors and windows to air out the house because this will make it harder for firefighters to detect the source of the monoxide.

Mr. Resnick listed the most common causes of fire:

1. Unattended cooking

2. Improperly disposed smoking materials (keep some water in the ash tray -- if you must smoke)

3. Fire place ashes, space heaters and electrical devices. When disposing of ashes, put them in a metal container, not a paper bag, and store it outside away from the house. Ashes can stay hot enough to start a fire for days.

In addition, to prevent electrical fires, make sure outlets, particularly surge protector strips, are not overloaded; plugged in cords collectively should not be thicker than the cord that connects the surge protector to the AC outlet.

Take extra care with Christmas trees, he warned: water regularly to prevent the tree from drying out and make sure there is no electrical overload near the tree, or any appliance nearby.

“Have a plan, and practice it,” Mr. Resnick emphasized.

A plan is essential to survive if fire does break out. In that case, get out as fast as you can, once outside, call 911, if necessary from a neighbor’s. Plan WHERE to meet everyone who is with you in the house because you may exit by different doors. For instance, set the meeting place at a neighbor’s front door, a street corner or specific tree; then take attendance. This is important for fire fighters to know that everyone has made it out safely.

Several other topics came up during the questions and answer period:

Q: If you cannot get to the front or back door, should you jump from the window?

A: No, do not jump. Make sure the door to the rest of the house is closed. Make sure 911 has been called then open windows and yell out or throw pillows and other stuff out, so firefighters can see where you are trapped. In case of smoke, go down on hands and knees and stay down.

Q: what about hand-held fire extinguishers?

A: Throw them out; you have to know how to fight a fire, and people in general do not know how. Trying to put out a fire yourselves will only delay your exit.

PCV’s next events, open to all, are our monthly Coffee Klatch, on April 2, and monthly meeting, on April 30. Non-members are also welcome to attend our April 28 theater party to see Uncle Vanya at the Round House Theater, if tickets are still available. Click here for information about the Coffee Klatch; here for April Meeting; here for theater party.

Potomac Community Village is a nonprofit volunteer group that enables people who live in the 20854 zip code to stay in their own homes as they age and to remain vibrant members of our community. Our Village, PCV, is part of a nationwide movement of more than 400 Villages with this mission. We provide social, educational, and wellness programs, as well as a variety of services to our members enabling them to be safe, to live independently in their homes, and to be connected to their community.

For more information, please see www.PotomacCommunityVillage.org, and our Facebook page, or contact us at 240-221-1370 or info@PotomacCommuniytVillage.org.