Recent reports show that cooking equipment and smoking materials remain the biggest dangers when it comes to home fires. Therefore we're issuing our "Top 10" list of fire safety tips.

1. Watch your cooking: Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you must leave, even for a short time, turn off the stove.
2. Give space heaters space: Keep fixed and portable space heaters at least three feet from anything that can burn. Turn off heaters when you leave the room or go to sleep.
3. Smoke outside: Ask smokers to smoke outside. Have sturdy, deep ashtrays for smokers.
4. Keep matches and lighters out of reach: Keep matches and lighters up high, out of the reach of children, preferably in a cabinet with a child lock.
5. Inspect electrical cords: Replace cords that are cracked, damaged, have broken plugs, or have loose connections.
6. Be careful when using candles: Keep candles at least one foot from anything that can burn. Blow out candles when you leave the room or go to sleep.
7. Have a home fire escape plan: Make a home fire escape plan and practice it at least twice a year.
8. Install smoke alarms: Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Interconnect smoke alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
9. Test smoke alarms: Test smoke alarms at least once a month and replace conventional batteries once a year or when the alarm “chirps” to tell you the battery is low. Replace any smoke alarm that is more than 10 years old.
10. Install sprinklers: If you are building or remodeling your home, install residential fire sprinklers. Sprinklers can contain and may even extinguish a fire in less time than it would take the fire department to arrive.