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Fire Safety week begins on October 7th. Is your apartment fire safe?

Here at Next Apartment, we take fire safety seriously. We ask our residents to take the time to learn their fire safety plan. If you don't know your building's fire plan, speak with your property manager to review it.

Fire safety in your apartment starts with you! Keeping your apartment fire safe is easy when you follow these simple safety measures:

• Never leave the kitchen while cooking.
• Never stack flammable materials near the heat vent or other sources of heat.
• Don't overload electrical outlets.
• When charging your cellphone, keep it on a solid flat surface, never on a bed, couch, or carpet.
• Use flameless candles or blow candles out before leaving the room or falling asleep.
• Don't block doorways with clutter, keep exit routes clear.
• Never disable the fire alarm or smoke detector in your apartment.
• Don't smoke in bed and always use an ashtray for cigarettes.

In addition to those safety measures, each tenant should own a fire extinguisher and know how to use it properly. Most apartment fires occur in the kitchen, and can happen quickly. Here are a few simple steps to remember when extinguishing a grease fire:

• Turn off the heat.
• Cover pan with a metal lid to suffocate the fire.
• If you don't have a metal lid, sprinkle baking soda over the fire.
• As a last resort, spray the fire with a Class B fire extinguisher.

Additional extinguishers can be placed wherever you feel comfortable having them. Remember that Class A extinguishers are for ordinary combustibles, Class B are for gas, oil, solvents, and paints, and Class C are for live electrical fires.

To use a fire extinguisher, remember to P.A.S.S.

1. Pull the pin in the handle of the fire extinguisher.
2. Aim the nozzle towards the base of the fire.
3. Squeeze down slowly on the extinguisher's lever.
4. Sweep the extinguisher from side to side across the fire.

In addition, it is important to report any beeping or abnormalities you notice with your smoke detector to your property manager immediately.

Follow Sault Fire Services or Central York Fires Services on social media for tips, events, and news near you.