Welcome to the Town of Sahuarita, Arizona

Each year, about 3,500 Americans die in fires, and about 20,000 are injured. You can stop the fire before it starts. Use the facts below to learn how to prevent a fire in your home, and know what to do if you have a fire.

PREVENTION--Stop an appliance fire before it starts:

• Immediately fix appliances or lamps that sputter or spark.
• Keep appliances away from wet areas, especially in the kitchen, bathroom, basement, and garage.
• If an appliance has a three-prong plug, never force it into a two-slot outlet or extension cord.
• Don’t let children play near electric space heaters. Keep clothes, curtains, and other flammable items at least three feet away from heaters.
• Carefully dispose of ashtray, b-b-q grill or fireplace ashes. Wait until the contents are cool to the touch before depositing in trash receptacle.
• Never overload outlets or extension cords.
• Regularly check your extension cords to make sure the plastic is not worn away or coming apart at the ends and never use an extension cord as permanent wiring.
• Instead of a simple extension cord, get a laboratory-tested extension cord with built-in circuit breakers.
• Check your wiring on a regular basis. Look for outlets that don’t work, light switches that are hot to the touch, and lights that flicker. This could mean there is something wrong and should be checked by an electrician.

Be prepared for a fire:

• One of the best ways to protect yourself and your family is to have a working smoke alarm that can sound fast for both a fire that has flames, and a smoky fire that has fumes without flames. It is called a "Dual Sensor Smoke Alarm." A smoke alarm greatly reduces your chances of dying in a fire.
• Know your local emergency numbers. In most areas the number is 911.
• Practice finding your way out of the house with your eyes closed, crawling or staying low to the ground, and feeling your way out of the house.
• Never open doors that are hot.
• Teach your family to stop, drop to the ground, and roll if their clothes catch fire.
• Decide on a meeting place outside your home and check to see if anyone is missing. Everyone must get out and stay out of the house or apartment.
• Remember to escape first, and then call the fire department.
• Make sure everyone in your family knows at least two ways to escape from each room in the house or apartment.
• Help children and senior citizens to escape from a fire.
• NEVER go back into a fire once you have escaped.

Story by Joe Romero, Planning & Building Safety Department