Fire & Home Safety Tips

Here are a couple of hints that will make accessing the emergency system easier, therefore allowing the department to respond more quickly. Thanks for your help!!

9-1-1...these are the only numbers you need to remember in an emergency. No longer do you have to thumb through the phone book or find that list next to the phone...just dial 9-1-1. The 9-1-1 system in DuPage County is an enhanced system that gives the dispatcher your name, address and phone number on a computer screen as soon as you call. While talking to the dispatcher please remain calm, speak slowly and describe the problem as best as you can. For all emergencies, please use the 9-1-1 system, be it for fire, medical or police. It is a very efficient system that will help protect you.

The Lisle-Woodridge Fire District asks that all residents mark their homes with the correct street address in a highly visible area. Sometimes it is difficult for responding personnel to locate the house number, especially in the more wooded areas and at nighttime. Please keep your numbers conspicuously posted so we can assist you in a timely fashion. Thank you!!

Click here to view a printable copy of our guidlines for home numbering.

Smoke detectors are an important step in providing a fire safe environment in your home. They provide quick recognition of smoke within a dwelling and allow the occupants to more easily escape a burning building. Minimally, detectors should be placed outside of your bedrooms and on each floor of the building. If you have any questions, please give us a call and we will be pleased to answer your inquiries.

• Change the batteries when you change your clocks in the spring and fall, or sooner if needed.

• Keep them clean by dusting regularly.

• Replace all types of  detectors every ten years.

There are many aspects to making your home a fire safe environment. Of course, you can never completely fireproof a home, but you can greatly reduce the risk of a fire. Please make your best effort to implement these simple fire safety rules in your home.

• Install smoke detectors in proper locations and maintain them well. There should be a smoke detector on each level of the house and outside all sleeping areas.

• Change the batteries when the clocks are changed in the spring and fall.

• Replace your detectors every ten years.

• Install a heat detector in your attached garage.

• Develop escape plans for all family members. These plans should include at least two means of escape and a meeting place outside the house. Make sure to practice the plan on a regular basis and post the plan where everyone can see it.

• Practice Stop, Drop & Roll with your children.

• Refrain from smoking in bed at all times.

• Do not overload electrical sockets...avoid the octopus.

• Hang ABC dry chemical fire extinguishers in the kitchen, cellar, garage, laundry room and workshops.  Remember to have them serviced each year.

• Have your chimney cleaned on a regular basis.

• Use a screen in front of the fireplace to keep in hot embers.

• Have your furnace cleaned and serviced on a regular basis.

• Clean your clothes dryer and dryer hose regularly to keep free of lint.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a tasteless, odorless gas that is a silent killer. The Lisle-Woodridge Fire District recommends that each home be outfitted with a carbon monoxide detector, in addition to smoke detectors. If the detector is activated, our advice is to leave the house and call 911, especially if you or your family members feel ill. The Lisle-Woodridge Fire District is equipped to monitor your household in the event your detector goes into alarm. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions or concerns. To learn more about carbon monoxide, visit this web site:  

Carbon monoxide fact sheet

For more fire prevention and other related safety tips, check out our "District News" page.