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• 
  Tips to Avoid Slips, Trips, and Falls in Your Home

  The #2 call for service in Albemarle County is injury from trips and falls in the home.

• Tip #1

  Clean up food, drink, or other spills immediately.

• Tip #2

  Keep things you use most often on a shelf at waist height or lower.

• Tip #3

  Remove clutter, rugs, and electrical cords from pathways.

• 
  Don’t wait, plan for your family’s safety now.

  Check that smoke alarms are working and have an escape plan ready. 

• Draw a map of your home showing all the doors and windows. Practice escape options with your family at least twice a year.

• Know at least two ways out of every room. Close doors behind you as you leave.

• Teach children how to escape on their own.

• If the smoke alarm sounds, get out and STAY out. Call 9-1-1 from outside your home.

• Install smoke alarms inside every sleeping room, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home.

• Check smoke alarms monthly, change batteries twice a year.

• 
  Home fires are more likely to start in the kitchen than any other room in your home.

  Stop them before they start with these tips.

• Never leave cooking food unattended.

• Keep anything that can catch fire away from the stovetop.

• Steam or splashes from vegetables, gravy, oil, or coffee can cause serious burns. Keep a safe distance.

• When cooking with hot oil, use splatter guards and oven mitts to protect your skin from oil burns.

• Always keep an oven mitt and pan lid nearby so that you can cover pans quickly in the event of a fire.

• Keep trip hazards, such as toys and grocery bags, off the kitchen floor.

• Stay alert when cooking. Avoid alcohol, drugs, and using the phone.