Be #FDNYSmart and Don’t Be Careless with Cigarettes

Hi Friends,

Smoking is dangerous!  In fact, each day 1300 people die from smoking alone.  That’s because the nicotine and other poisonous chemicals in smoke cause lots of diseases like heart problems and cancer.  If you smoke, you are hurting your health each time you light up!  The best thing to do is to avoid smoking.  Simply DON’T do it!

Here’s another way that smoking is dangerous in ways you don’t expect.  Did you know that smoking is the second highest cause of fire deaths after electrical fires?

Smoking fires are extremely dangerous.   That’s because fires caused by smoking materials often smolder, sometimes for hours before the first flame.  The smoldering butts can ignite mattresses, bedding, upholstered furniture, trash and other combustibles. For most people who died in residential smoking fires, escape was more difficult because they were a sleep.

While the best thing to do is to stay away from smoking, there may be instances in which a grownup you know lights up.  If that’s the case, share these tips with your grownup to make sure everyone around stays safe.

• Use large, deep, non-tip ashtrays. Never leave a lit cigarette in an ashtray and never leave an ashtray on the arm of a couch or a chair.
• Before going to bed or going out, check between, on and under upholstery and cushions for cigarette butts that may be smoldering.
• Douse cigarette butts completely with water before discarding them.
• Simply make it a rule NEVER to smoke in bed or while lying down, especially when you are drowsy or taking medication that makes you sleepy.
• NEVER permit smoking around the storage or use of an oxygen tank.

Most importantly matches, lighters and other smoking materials need to be kept away from young children.   Children cause thousands of home fires each year by playing with fire materials.   You should make sure you, your brothers and sisters and your friends know never to play with matches and lighters and grownups should keep these thing away.

If you know somebody that smokes that wants to quit smoking, head over to NYC Quits.

So friends remember to share these #FDNYSmart tips if you know anyone that smokes.  You can also learn more safety tips in our flash facts here.  Don’t forget to follow Siren and Hot Dog on Twitter.