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Home safety · Free interactive checklist

Home Fire Safety Score

Check your alarms, escape routes and everyday habits. Answer 13 questions to get a checklist score, critical-gap warnings and a practical action plan.

About 3 minutesUSFA guidanceNo account required

Start your home check

Choose your building type. You can change any answer before printing your plan.

Optional household & saving preferences

Progress is saved only if you choose to remember it. Shared links do not include your answers.

Your home checklist

Select an answer to continue. Use Previous question to make a change.

Your checklist & action plan

Checklist score / 100

Category breakdown

Your priority improvements

Critical items come first. All incomplete and uncertain answers appear below.

Review or edit all 13 answers

A checklist score is not a probability of fire or a safety certificate. Contact your local fire department for advice or an inspection. Weights are editorial, not a validated risk model.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I test smoke alarms?
Test every smoke alarm monthly using its test button. Replace smoke alarms 10 years from manufacture and follow manufacturer instructions for batteries and maintenance.
Where should smoke alarms be installed?
Install working smoke alarms inside every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level, including the basement. Choose interconnected alarms and check local requirements.
What should my escape plan include?
Identify two usable ways out of each room where possible, choose an outside meeting place and practice at least twice a year. Include help for anyone who needs it. In high-rises, follow the building plan and identify stair exits; a window is not a high-rise escape route.
What does PASS mean?
Pull the pin, Aim at the base, Squeeze and Sweep. Only consider an extinguisher for a small contained fire with a clear escape route, after others are alerted and the fire department is called. If there is smoke, the fire grows or you are unsure, evacuate.
How often should I clean dryer lint?
Clean the lint filter before or after every load and maintain the exhaust path following manufacturer instructions. Select not applicable in the assessment if you do not have a dryer.
How can I reduce cooking fire hazards?
Stay with active stovetop cooking and turn off the burner if you leave. Keep combustibles away. Never use water on a grease fire or carry a burning pan.
Where should CO alarms go?
Place CO alarms outside each separate sleeping area and on every level. Follow manufacturer instructions for placement and replacement and check local requirements.
How far should combustibles be from heat sources?
Keep combustibles at least 3 feet from portable heaters and heating equipment, following any greater manufacturer clearance. Keep stovetops clear. Place candles at least 12 inches from anything that can burn and extinguish them before leaving or sleeping.
Does a high score mean my home is safe?
No. This is an educational checklist, not a fire risk prediction, inspection or code certification. AllFirefighter sets the weights: detection 25, escape 25, prevention 25, hazards 15 and readiness 10. Critical gaps are flagged independently of the total. Unknown answers earn no points; applicable points are rescaled to 100 when a permitted not-applicable answer is selected.
Are my answers saved or shared?
Answers stay in this browser session unless you choose Remember progress on this device. You can clear saved progress. Copy and print include the checklist and action plan; sharing the tool link does not include your answers.

About This Assessment

This educational checklist uses U.S. Fire Administration prevention guidance. AllFirefighter chooses the point weights: detection 25, escape 25, prevention 25, hazards 15 and readiness 10. These weights are not a validated fire-risk model or code compliance test. A critical gap can be flagged even when the numerical score is high.

Score = earned points ÷ applicable possible points × 100, rounded to a whole number. Only explicitly offered not-applicable answers remove points from the denominator. Unknown answers earn zero and appear as items to verify. Local requirements and manufacturer instructions take precedence. Guidance reviewed October 9, 2026.

Sources & references

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⚠️ Disclaimer: This tool is for training and planning purposes only. Do not rely on these calculations as the sole basis for live fireground operations. Always defer to your department's SOPs. Read full operational disclaimer.

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