ParentsTalk: Experts' Advice: Family Safety: Fire Safety at Home

By Nancy Harvey Steorts, Author, "Safety and You"
Former Chairman, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Thousands of people die from fire each year in this country. Most residential fire deaths occur because of inhalation of toxic gases rather than contact with the flames. Many of these deaths could have been prevented if just a few precautions had been taken. Nancy Harvey Steorts

October is National Fire Prevention Month. This is the time of year that many public and private sector organizations focus their efforts on helping families look at their homes from a safety perspective.

The National Fire Protection Association has focused their National Campaign for the last three years on helping families plan and implement an emergency escape. The theme of their Fire Prevention Campaign is "Fire Drills: The Great Escape". According to the NFPA, too few people develop a proactive home fire escape plan and this lack of planning can prove deadly in a home fire. The purpose of this public safety campaign is to increase the number of families who develop and practice a home fire escape plan.

In 1999, there were approximately 3000 fire deaths. About 81% of all fire deaths occurred in the home. Nationwide there is a fire death occurring every 147 minutes. It is estimated that over $10 billion dollars in property damage occurred in 1999, which is an increase of over 16%. Thus it is extremely important that every family initiate a fire safety program for their home, so that lives can be saved and property damage can be avoided.

HOW TO PUT TOGETHER A FIRE ESCAPE PLAN FOR YOUR HOME

Work together with your family and plan your fire escape route.
Test all smoke alarms to make sure that they work properly. Smoke alarms should be on every level of your home and in and outside of all sleeping areas. It is best to have one in each bedroom. Test all alarms. Change smoke detector batteries every 6 months. Replace smoke alarms after 10 years. A working smoke detector can literally save your life, as members of your household will be alerted quickly if a fire begins.
Check all doors and windows to make sure they open easily. Nothing should be in your way if you need to make a safe-quick exit.
Plan two ways out of every room in your house in case of a fire. The most direct route is usually out of a door; a second route in case the first route is blocked by smoke or fire may involve an emergency escape from a second story window, which may involve using a home fire safety ladder.
Remove any obstacles from your escape route.
Feel around the frame of the door and the space between the door and the frame with the back of your hand to see if it is warm. If it is warm that means that there is a fire nearby, so you should then use your second way out.
Crawl low under the smoke to your exit. If you have to escape through smoke, crawl on your hand and knees with your head 1 to 2 feet above the floor. The air there will be cleaner, cooler and safer, because smoke rises.
Close all doors as you exit the home to slow the spread of fire and smoke.
Pick a specific family meeting place outside, away from the building. Pick a neighbor's home, a tree or a telephone where everyone can meet. Be sure it is far enough away from the home, so that smoke or fire will harm noone.
Call the fire department once you are out of the home.
Practice your fire escape twice a year so you will know exactly what to do if you should have an emergency.
Never go back into the building. Fire is very dangerous. Only firefighters are trained and equipped to go inside a burning building. Get outside safely. Let the firefighters do their job. Your health and safety and that of your family are too important.

According to Kidde Safety, a little preparation can save you and your family from loss, horrible injury or death. Tips that they offer include:

If you have people in your home who are heavy smokers, you should install a smoke alarm in his or her room, and have heavy ashtrays in various locations. One third of the home fire victims lost lives in fires that are smoking related.
Clean out your lint filter after each load of wash. Be sure the dryer is operating properly. Clothes dryers cause 14,000 fires each year. Take all clothes out of the dryer after the cycle is done. Be sure that the dryer is operating properly.
Unplug all appliances when you are not using them.
Do not depend on heat-producing devices such as irons, and automatic coffee pots, to turn themselves off.
Do not leave a stove unattended.
Do not wear loose fitting clothes while cooking.
Unplug power tools not in use.
Do not plug too many items into the same electric outlet.
Leave lots of space around fans and space heaters.
Keep flammable materials away from furnace and space heaters.
Have furnaces professionally inspected and cleaned each year.
Keep matches away from kids.
Install a smoke and fire alarm on each floor.
Keep a fire extinguisher near each exit.
Have a fire drill.
Discard newspapers and keep flammable liquids in a cool ventilated place.
Have your chimney cleaned regularly.

SAFEGUARDING AGAINST FIRES

It is essential that every home have working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Along with a well-rehearsed fire escape plan, this can mean the difference between life and death to your family.

Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors save lives, as they give you that early warning that there may be a fire or carbon monoxide problem in your home.

Most jurisdictions now require smoke detectors in both homes and businesses. Not only do they save lives, but studies show that money spent on smoke detectors reduces direct and indirect medical costs, as well as other costs to society. Smoke detectors are the best alarms in the event of a fire and provide an early warning that gives you time to escape from your home. It is essential however that all smoke detectors have working batteries.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SMOKE DETECTORS

Purchase a smoke alarm for every floor of your home, and read the instructions on how to use it and where to position it.

Smoke alarms should be placed near bedrooms, either on the ceiling or six to twelve inches below the ceiling on the wall.

Local codes may require additional alarms. Check with your fire department or building code official.

Locate smoke alarms away from air vents.

If you have a battery-powered alarm, change the battery every six months when you change your clocks.

For maximum protection, install both ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms in the home for the optimum detection of fast flaming fires and slow smoldering fires.

CARBON MONOXIDE

In addition to fire safety, consumers need to be most concerned about carbon monoxide safety. Carbon Monoxide is a silent killer, because it is a gas that is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Each year hundreds of people die from carbon monoxide poisoning. Thousands of other people suffer the effects of this deadly gas without realizing it. Symptoms for CO are similar to the flu. If you feel ill in your home, and feel better when you leave the home, carbon monoxide poisoning should be suspected.

Possible sources of CO include: furnace or boiler, gas or fuel-oil water heater, fireplace, gas room heater, gas range, defective chimney or vent, automobile in attached garage, or backdrafting of gases into the home.

It is essential that every home have Carbon Monoxide detectors. They give an early warning that there is a potential problem of carbon monoxide. A carbon monoxide detector should be placed on every floor of your home.

Be sure that your carbon monoxide detector meets the new standards of Underwriter Laboratories. The standard is UL 2034. Carbon Monoxide detectors have different features. I think it is important that the detector have a digital reading, so that you can tell immediately what the reading is. Carbon monoxide detectors can be both hard-wired, plug in, and battery operated. I am impressed with the Nighthawk Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector, which has voice actuation. This detector tells you immediately whether the problem is fire or carbon monoxide.

Because of the serious nature of Carbon Monoxide, some state and local jurisdictions are now developing ordinances that are requiring carbon monoxide detectors in homes and public facilities. I think you will see much more attention to this initiative in the future.

It is very important that every family have safety devices that help prevent these very serious tragedies from occurring. It is also important that you have equipment that is working properly, has been inspected regularly, and meets the updated standards of today's appliances. One cannot be too careful.

In cooperation with the Consumer Information Center, the Department of Agriculture and Kidde Safety,I have published a new brochure "Making Your Home Safe from Fire and Carbon Monoxide", which is based on the contents of my recently released book, "Safety and You". This brochure is free to the public, and can be received by calling toll free the Federal Consumer Information Center at 1-888-878-3256 from 9:00 am to 8:00 p.m. EST. Ask for Item 629G.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information on fire safety and carbon monoxide, please utilize the following resources.

Kidde-Safety Consumer Hot Line: 1-800-880-6788
http://www.kidde.com

Consumer Product Safety Commission: 1-800-365-8929

"Safety and You", my new book can be purchased from SU PRESS
at 1-800-365-8929 or at your local book store

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