prevent  a  fire  in  the  first  place.  The  three  main precautions you should take to help prevent fires are as follows: 1. Install fire or smoke detectors. 2.  Plan  fire  escapes. 3.  Reduce  fire  hazards. Most fatal home fires occur at night while people sleep.  Smoke  usually  precedes  measurable  amounts  of heat in most cases of fire. Fire produces toxic gases and smoke that actually numbs the senses. If you are asleep or become disoriented by toxic gases, you may not even realize there is a fire. You cannot rely on your own senses to detect a fire. So, it is extremely important for you to install fire or smoke-detectors to sound an alarm. In  addition,  you  and  your  family  should  practice  escape drills. Make sure everyone in the family knows the phone  number  of  the  fire  department. There  are  two  types  of  detectors—smoke  detectors and fire detectors. Smoke detectors sound an alarm at the first trace of smoke. Heat or fire detectors sound an alarm to warn of an abnormally high temperature in the immediate area of the detector. Detectors can either be battery operated or part of a home’s central wiring system. Be sure to install a detector on a circuit that you cannot turn off at a wall switch. The   National   Fire   Prevention   Association’s (NFPA) Standard 74 for household fire-warning equip- ment  recommends  you  install  one  smoke  detector outside each sleeping area of your house. You should install  additional  detectors  on  each  story  of  your  house. Don’t  forget  the  basement  and  attic,  too.  Supplement these detectors with additional detectors around the home, such as in hallways, utility rooms, the dining room, and furnace room. Smoke rises, filling the highest points in a house, before moving down to the floor. To detect the first traces of smoke, mount the detector high on a wall or on the  ceiling.  Mount  ceiling-mounted  fire  or  smoke detectors at least 4 inches away from any wall. If you mount a detector on a wall, allow 4 to 12 inches from the ceiling. In a room with a high-pitched ceiling, mount the detector on or near the highest point of the ceiling. DO NOT install fire or smoke detectors near windows, doors, or air registers where drafts could affect their sensitivity. Children More  children  die  each injuries than from childhood year from preventable diseases.  Accidents  are 11-14 killing our children at an alarming rate. Mishaps are the leading cause of death for children aged 1 to 14 years. The Department of Defense (DOD) takes part in a national  campaign  to  safeguard  our  children.  The National  Safe  Kids  Campaign  began  in  1988  to eliminate   mishaps   to   children   through   parental education and improvement of national safety codes and standards. To provide a balanced program covering all facets  of  children’s  safety,  the  campaign  focuses  each year on a different high-risk area. BURNS AND SCALDS.— The number of children burned and scalded is alarmingly high. Many children under age 14 are treated in emergency rooms after being scalded by food; tap water; and hot liquids, such as grease. Most of these scalds occur in the kitchen. Keep all pots and pans out of children’s reach. Keep hot substances  away  from  the  edges  of  tables  and  counters. Hot tap water can easily scald children, especially in the bathtub. Always supervise your children in and around  water.  To  prevent  tap  water  scalds,  stay  with your children while they are taking a bath. You should check the temperature of bath water before bathing your child. (Hot water heaters should not be set higher than 120  degrees.) Keep dangling enticements, such as a coffee pot cord or the drape of a table cloth, away from children. POISONING  AND  CHOKING.—  Every  30 seconds a child is poisoned in this country. A bottle of kitchen cleanser is harmless when adults use it to clean areas of the house. However, put that same bottle of kitchen cleanser into the hands of a curious child and you have a deadly situation. Children cannot protect themselves   from   accidental   poisoning.   You   can, however,  prevent  accidental  poisonings  in  your  home. Some causes of children’s accidental poisonings are medicines, household chemicals, cleaning products, make  up,  and  plants;  medicines  cause  most  of  the poisonings. Keep such common household items out of sight and reach of children. OFF-DUTY MISHAP INVESTIGATION AND REPORTING The commanding officer is responsible for seeking ways  and  means  of  controlling  and  preventing  injuries. That includes both on- and off-duty activities. Whether personnel are injured on the job or at home, their injuries can  have  an  impact  on  mission  readiness.  Mishap prevention  also  extends  to  off-duty  activities.