Follow these 10 tips to help protect yourself, your family and your property against fire hazards. •Install a fire alarm in every sleeping area and on every level of your home, and be sure to test alarms every month. Working smoke alarms reduce the risk of death in a home fire in half. •Check the manufacture date on the back of your home’s smoke alarms. Smoke alarms should be replaced

With busy lives, families rely on the microwave oven as a quick way to heat up a meal, warm up a drink or defrost dinner. While the convenience of the microwave oven is something we take for granted, safety should not be. By following a few simple safety tips you can prevent painful burns and possible fires. Safety Tips •Purchase a microwave oven that is listed by a qualified testing laboratory.

A scald injury can happen at any age. Children, older adults and people with disabilities are especially at risk. Hot liquids from bath water, hot coffee and even microwaved soup can cause devastating injuries. Scald burns are the second leading cause of all burn injuries. Scald Safety •Teach children that hot things can burn. Install anti- scald devices on tub faucets and shower heads.

Having a babysitter can give you peace of mind. It allows you to leave your child with someone you trust. Be sure your babysitter knows about fire safety. Be sure your babysitter knows what to do if there is a fire. Show the babysitter your home escape plan and make sure the babysitter understands: •Two ways out of every room. •Where the outdoor meeting place is located. •The

Smoke alarms are a key part of a home fire escape plan. When there is a fire, smoke spreads fast. Working smoke alarms give you early warning so you can get outside quickly. Safety Tips •Install smoke alarms in every bedroom. They should also be outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. Install alarms in the basement. •Large homes may need extra smoke alarms.

Children dressed in costumes excitedly running door to door to trick-or-treat, festive decorations like glowing jack-o-lanterns, paper ghosts and dried cornstalks adorning front porches — these are some of the classic hallmarks of Halloween that make the holiday special for kids and adults alike. Unfortunately, these Halloween symbols and activities can also present lurking fire risks that

For most, the kitchen is the heart of the home, especially during the holidays. From testing family recipes to decorating cakes and cookies, everyone enjoys being part of the preparations. So keeping fire safety top of mind in the kitchen during this joyous but hectic time is important, especially when there’s a lot of activity and people at home. As you start preparing your holiday schedule

Every year, wildfires burn across the United States, and a growing number of people are living where wildfires are a real risk. In 2018, more than 58,000 fires burned nearly nine million acres across the U.S. More than 25,000 structures were destroyed, including 18,137 residences and 229 commercial structures. California accounted for the highest number of structures lost in one state due to

A Montana court permanently struck down a state law Sept. 25 that restricted the right to vote for Indigenous people living on rural reservations. Western Native Voice v. Stapleton, filed in March of this year by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Montana, and Native American Rights Fund (NARF), challenged the so-called Montana Ballot Interference Prevention Act (BIPA), a law that imposed