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Show Fire can cost tragedy in lives, expense Few things can cost you your home and one or more of your family more quickly and tragically trag-ically "than fire. Resolve to make your home a fire safe home, urges the County Extension Agent. A home safe from fire, he says depends on two important factors: fac-tors: good family habits about fire and its hazards, and good construction. Good family habits include such things as care with matches and smoking, good housekeeping to get rid of rubbish, rub-bish, proper use of electrical fuses, appliances ,and extension cords, and a constant general awareness of the ways fires start and how to avoid them. Good construction for a fire safe home, according to the National Na-tional Fire Protection Association, Associa-tion, includes: 1. Built-in fire stops. These are barriers of wood or masonry ma-sonry between studs, joists, rafters or stringers that serve to prevent the spread of smoke and fire. 2. Solid doors for every room. An ordinary wooden door can keep smoke and fire out of a room for as long as 30 minutes. 3. Good escape routes. Best exits lead directly outside, not through other rooms. Windows should be large enough and low enough to climb through, and operate easily enough for the youngest member of the family. 4. Fire-resisting roofing material, ma-terial, such as asphalt shingles, slate, asbestos or metal. 5. Proper wiring. Qualified electricians follow the provisions provis-ions of the National Electrical Code when installing wiring, which means a fire safe installation. instal-lation. 6. A good heating plant properly installed and located regularly inspected and cleaned. A furnace should never be located lo-cated under stairs or near an entrance where fire originating in the heater might block escape. |