Careless smoking is the second leading cause of fire deaths
Deaths due to fires caused by careless smoking are particularly preventable
Having a working smoke alarm reduces one's chance of dying in a fire by nearly a half
Careless Smoking Life-Saving Tips
Following these simple fire safety tips can increase your survival rate dramatically:
Close a matchbook before striking and hold it away from your body, set your cigarette lighter on low flame
Develop and practice a fire escape plan; in case of a fire, crawl or stay low to the ground, beneath the smoke, and use the escape plan you have worked out; get out and stay out.
Don't leave cigarettes, cigars, or pipes unattended; put out all smoking materials before you walk away
Don't put ashtrays on the arms of sofas or chairs
If smokers have visited, be sure to check the floor and around chair cushions for ashes that may have been dropped accidentally
If you begin to feel drowsy while watching television or reading, extinguish your cigarette or cigar
Install a smoke alarm on every level of your home, test smoke alarm batteries every month and change them at least once a year; consider installing a 10-year lithium battery-powered smoke alarm, which is sealed so it cannot be tampered with or opened
Never smoke in bed, replace mattresses made prior to the 1973 Federal Mattress Flammability Standard
Use deep ashtrays and soak ashes in water before disposal