House fires: Prevention, planning, more tips from Long Island experts

There are several ways Long Islanders can be proactive in preventing fires in their homes, according to local experts.

There are simple tasks — from the obvious, like cleaning out the vent in your dryer, to ones people may not know, such as not leaving a phone charging on a soft surface.

DON ' T CHARGE YOUR PHONE ON YOUR BED

"I even tell my kids, don't charge your iPad or laptop on your bed," said Nassau County fire marshal Matthew Kerin. "If you charge it on a bed, pillow or couch, the computer itself has to breathe and a lot of times when it generates enough heat, it's going to ignite. So if you're going to charge something, charge it on a countertop."

DO SERVICE LARGER APPLIANCES REGULARLY

As for larger appliances, annually servicing oil burners and furnaces is crucial, said Kerin, especially during season changes. The same goes for air conditioning units, along with keeping track of a smoke detector's battery life.

DON'T PLUG LARGE APPLIANCES INTO POWER STRIPS

And using a power strip for large appliances like refrigerators, air conditioners and space heaters is dangerous, too, said Kerin: "Have them directly plugged into an outlet," he said.

DO CHECK FIREPLACES AND CHIMNEYS

Paul Smith, chief of the Huntington Fire Department, added that fireplaces and chimneys should also be checked regularly, and rooms containing boilers or heaters should remain free of clutter. Smith also said his team has responded to many kitchen fires.

DON'T GET DISTRACTED WHILE COOKING

"You have no idea how many calls we go to where somebody is burning food on the stove," he said. "Stay present while you're cooking, and keep it in a nice, clear area. And make sure if something does catch on fire, you have a fire extinguisher or something there to put the fire out, to douse it down."

DON'T HIDE YOUR FIRE EXTINGUISHER

Having a fire extinguisher in the house is important and should always be somewhere accessible, Smith added.

"More often than not though, what ends up happening is, where do they go?" said Kerin. "They get tucked underneath in cabinets or in a closet, so they're not exactly ready and available. So now that person is trying to find out where it was, they might be running all over the house and then they might get stuck."

DO HAVE AN ESCAPE PLAN

Both Smith and Kerin advise families, especially with young children, to establish a meeting point outside of the house and run practice drills. "Make sure you have a good escape plan, just in case," said Smith.

By Rachel Weiss

rachel.weiss@newsday.com@RachMWeiss

Rachel Weiss joined Newsday in 2016. As a real estate/living multimedia reporter, Rachel writes feature stories and contributes to and appears in on-camera video packages. She was the lead reporter on Newsday’s LI Acts of Kindness series.