Residential Fire Prevention

Fire prevention in your home plays an important role in keeping you and your loved ones safe.  The Highland Village Fire Prevention Division encourages prevention through education and the proper placement of available prevention tools such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors along with the appropriate type of fire extinguisher.  Our Department is happy to come out and inspect your detectors and/or extinguishers and make any recommendations for updates or necessary changes.

Our Department can assist residents with the following:

  • Fire Escape Planning
  • Home Inspections
  • Carbon Monoxide Detectors
  • Smoke Alarms
  • Fire Extinguisher Education
  • Outdoor Burning Regulations

Fire Escape Planning

The time for a safe escape can be as little as 1-2 minutes after you hear the smoke alarm.  Fire can spread quickly through homes trapping residents.  Everyone in the family needs to come together and make a plan, including knowing all exits and escape routes, locations of smoke alarms, and a family meeting place outside of the home.  Drawing out an escape plan is an especially good way to help children visualize the concept in a non-threatening way.

Every home should have a fire escape plan.  Escaping from a home fire depends not only on your smoke alarms but on the plan you, and your family, have developed and practiced in advance.  The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) offers dozens of consumer-friendly fact sheets on a wide range of timely and important topics.  Everything you need to know to keep you, your family, and your neighbors safe from fire and related hazards.

Home Inspections

Sure you change the batteries in your smoke detectors on a regular basis, but:

  • Are they located in the proper location?
  • Does your fire extinguisher work properly and is it stored in the best location for ease of access?

The Highland Village Fire Department can answer those questions and more.  We encourage residents to schedule a Home Fire Safety Inspection once each year. A crew will come to your residence to identify possible life safety hazards and make recommendations for corrections of these hazards. Special attention will be placed on smoke detector placement and function, fire extinguisher testing, and a home fire escape plan.
 
Schedule your inspection by calling the Fire Prevention Division at (972) 317-0890.

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide is produced by the incomplete combustion of the fossil fuels (gas, oil, coal, and wood) used in boilers, engines, oil burners, gas fires, water heaters, solid fuel appliances, and open fires.
 
 Dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide can accumulate as a result of poor installation or maintenance of appliances, failure or damage to an appliance in service, or fuel not burned properly this along with poorly ventilated rooms can keep carbon monoxide from escaping.
 
Having no smell, taste, or color, and in today's world of improved insulation and double glazing it has become increasingly important to have good ventilation, maintain all appliances regularly, and have reliable detector/alarm(s) installed.  Alarms should give both a visual and audible alarm immediately if there is a buildup of carbon monoxide to dangerous levels.

Installation

Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Unlike smoke, carbon monoxide sinks to the floor. Therefore, detectors should be installed at the lowest possible portion of the house. Many carbon monoxide detectors are being manufactured to plug into wall outlets to help ease installation and placement.

Smoke Alarms
Smoke rises, so be sure to place alarms high on the wall or on the ceiling to achieve the best source for detection. They should also be placed in stairways where smoke would travel upward. Do not mount alarms near windows, by doors, or forced-air registers.

Install smoke alarms on every floor of your home and near or inside sleeping areas. Do not install alarms in kitchens, bathrooms, or garages (places that tend to accumulate smoke and will set off nuisance alarms unnecessarily).