By John Campanola
Blasts of January would blow you through and through.
–William Shakespeare
Winter has come in like a lion! It was only weeks ago that we were basking in the sun and running our air conditioners day and night. We aren’t running our air conditioners so often any more and we now actually turn on the heat, especially in the evening. No matter how cold it gets in Florida, however, we can always rest in the glow we receive every time we talk to our friends up in the snowy North and Midwest.
As the temperature drops we need to focus some attention on the serious subject of fire. Just the word “Fire” causes quivers and shakes in many of us and for good reason.
There are an estimated 1,823,000 fires in the U.S. every year and 383,000 occur in residential properties. These fires result in 3,570 deaths with over 80 percent occurring in homes. In addition to fire deaths, there are 21,875 fire injuries each year. These fires result in a staggering financial loss of over $10 Billion in direct property damage.
To put the number of fires into perspective note that:
- Every 17 Seconds fire departments respond to fires in the U.S.
- Every 60 Seconds there is a structure fire
- Every 82 Seconds there is a residential fire
While the leading cause of fire in the home is related to cooking, heating the home comes in as a close second. In addition to cooking and heating, fires are caused by electrical distribution, appliances- e.g. your clothes dryer, other equipment, smoking, and by children. Children actually account for five percent of all fires in the home.
In terms of specific location, thirty percent of fires in the home occur in the kitchen, followed in order by the bedroom, living room/den, chimney, and laundry area.
There are many aspects to making your home fire safe and space will not allow me to mention them all in this article. While you can never completely fireproof a home, listed below are things that can greatly reduce the risk of a fire.
To reduce the risk of fire, follow the following steps:
- Most important:
- Install smoke detectors, preferably installed and monitored by a professional alarm monitoring company. There should be a smoke detector on each level of the house and outside all sleeping areas. A monitored alarm may also qualify you for an additional discount on your homeowner’s insurance.
- Change the batteries in the smoke detectors when the clocks are changed in the spring and in the fall.
- Never remove a battery from your smoke alarm. Battery removal is the number one cause of failure in smoke alarms. Batteries are often removed because of false alarms, low battery ‘chirp’ or because the battery was needed for some other device.
- Winter fire concerns – may or may not be pertinent base on your individual situation:
- Make certain your space heaters have an emergency shut off in case they tip over. If fuel is required, only use the fuel recommended by the manufacturer. Never refill a space heater while it is operating or still hot.
- Don’t use the oven to heat your home. In addition to being a fire hazard, it can be a source of toxic fumes.
- Make sure wood stoves are properly installed, away from combustible surfaces, have the proper floor support and adequate ventilation.
- Have your chimney professionally inspected annually and cleaned if necessary. Chimney tar build-up is a common cause of chimney fires.
- Use a glass or metal screen in front of your fireplace to prevent sparks from igniting nearby carpets or furniture.
- Cooking fires:
- Never leave cooking unattended. A serious fire can start in seconds.
- Always wear short, tight-fitting sleeves when cooking.
- If a fire breaks out while cooking, put a lid on the pan to smother it. You may also use baking soda or a specially designed “fire blanket”. Never throw water on a grease fire.
- Electrical and appliance concerns:
- Instead of a simple extension cord, use a UL approved unit with built-in circuit breakers.
- Don’t overload electrical outlets with several appliances.
- Never leave the house while your clothes dryer is running. The Consumer Products Safety Commission estimates that dryers are associated with more than 15,000 fires each year and result in property damage, injury and, in some cases, death. Dyers are ranked third among appliances in homes that start fires, with only stoves and fixed heating systems ranking higher.
- A few others worth noting:
- Keep lighters, matches and other ignitables in a secured drawer or cabinet out of reach of children. Children are one of the highest risk groups for death in residential fires.
- Never smoke in bed. Replace mattresses made prior to the 1973 Federal Mattress Flammability Standard.
Fire, like burglary and medical emergencies, are one of the hazards that we all must live with and protect against. There is no value that can be set on the loss of life or on a traumatic injury. Money cannot replace family photos, heirlooms, or precious collections. Following the simple steps outlined above should allow for all of us to rest comfortably knowing that we have done what we can to lessen the threat of a Fire.
This article originally appeared in Viewpointe of Boca Pointe published in January of 2005.