It’s fall, leaning in to winter, bringing a nip in the air, more time spent indoors – and a seasonal increase in residential fires.
Better education and prevention efforts have resulted in a steady decline in civilian fire deaths over the past 30 years, but the National Fire Protection Association still recorded 370,000 home structure fires in the United States in 2011, causing 2,520 deaths and 13,910 injuries.
For Lt. Richard Burke, community liaison officer for the Bellevue Fire Department, every death, injury and loss of shelter is a tragedy because “a little prevention and maintenance would prevent a lot of home fires.” His six tips may seem “old hat,” but each has information most of us don’t know – and what we don’t know can kill us.
- Install smoke detectors. Make sure they work. Two-thirds of home fire fatalities occur in homes without smoke detectors or in those where the batteries are dead. Install smoke detectors within 8 inches of the ceiling in each bedroom and in the hallways outside sleeping areas, plus one in the common area and one in the kitchen. Check them once a month and keep them clean and vacuumed. Change the batteries at least once or, preferably, twice a year. The dates when the clocks are set forward or back are logical times; this year daylight savings time ends Nov. 3. Smoke detectors do chirp when the battery is dead, but they are already deficient before that happens.
- Have a working fire extinguisher and know how to use it. It should be mounted on the wall so that everyone knows where it is, rather than moved around. Twice a year, check that the gauge is in the green zone, indicating full capacity. Re-familiarize yourself with the instructions. Turn it upside down and shake it because if an extinguisher sits upright for a long time, the contents will clump at the bottom, possibly resulting in a big spray and then nothing. The fire extinguisher should be labeled with its lifespan; if not, replace it after 10 years.
- Get kids involved in setting up a fire escape plan and practice it ahead of time. Go through your house and figure out two exits from each room, and decide on an outside meeting place. Know and practice what to do if you hear a smoke detector at night when you are in your bedroom. You should first feel the doorknob; if it is hot, don’t open the door. If it isn’t hot, open the door just a little. If there’s smoke in the hallway, close the door and keep it closed. The safest place to be is inside a closed bedroom because that’s where firefighters will look for you. “Stay fast; we’re coming,” Burke summarizes.
- Take extra care in the kitchen. Cooking accidents are the leading cause of residential fires by a large margin (166,000 kitchen fires in 2011, according to the U.S. Fire Administration). NEVER leave food cooking on a stove unattended. If you have to walk away, turn off the stove. Keep small children away from the kitchen if there’s something on the stove or in the oven. Keep electrical cords and flammable objects, such as pot holders, away from the stovetop. If a fire starts, turn off the burner and put a lid on the pan. Do not pour water on the flames; it can cause an explosion.
- Maintain heating equipment. Heating equipment failure is the second leading cause of residential fires (43,700 in 2011). An annual furnace inspection is ideal. At the very least, take covers off furnace components before using it the first time in the fall to see if anything – from dust balls to mouse nests – is blocking heating units or filters. Make sure you are home the first time you fire up the furnace so that you can spot problems before they cause a fire. Keep furniture, clothing or other items at least three feet from space heaters. Inspect cords on portable heaters and never run them under a carpet.
- Keep fireplaces safe. Frequently used fireplaces or woodstoves should be professionally inspected annually to make sure there’s good air flow and that creosote has not built up in the chimney. Check that the damper or flue opens and closes easily and that all parts of a wood stove are attached and working properly. If an open fireplace is used infrequently, and you burn dry wood that does not cause creosote build-up, you can have the unit inspected and cleaned every five to ten years. Remove decorations and flammable materials from the hearth.
Other causes of residential fires are smoking (causing the most fatalities), faulty electrical equipment and wiring, candles, children playing with matches and lighters, flammable liquids, Christmas trees and lights, and barbecues. For safety information, visit www.usfa.fema.gov/citizens. National Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 6-12, and this year’s focus is on kitchen fires; visit www.firepreventionweek.org for tips and information.
