Did you know that heating equipment is the leading cause of home fire deaths? During the winter months, it’s enjoyable to sit fireside and read a good book, but safety must be practiced. Furthermore, space Heaters can help you save on your heating costs, but the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges people to follow these safety precautions when using electric or fuel-fired heaters and fireplaces:
- Buy a reliable heater. Look for the label stating that your space heater has been approved by an independent testing laboratory and meets safety standards. Choose models with safety features like an automatic switch that turns off the heater if it tips over.
- Place your heater in a safe location – on a hard, level surface with sufficient ventilation and at least three feet away from anything that might catch fire, like furniture, draperies, newspapers, etc. Also, keep it clear of sinks, tubs, or any other sources of water that might lead to an electric shock.
- Check your cords. Don’t use equipment with cords that are frayed or damaged in any way, and don’t plug your heater into an extension cord.
- Install and maintain alarms. Your home should have working detectors for smoke and carbon monoxide on every floor. Test them thoroughly and frequently.
- Never leave your heater unattended. Turn it off when you go to bed or leave the home.
Download a printable tip sheet on heating safety from the NFPA.
LiveSafe Foundation is an Ohio based non-profit organization (501c3), and leading grassroots movement, devoted to making fire safety education, awareness initiatives and life saving tools available on a broad basis to communities, campuses, and institutions in an effort to reduce national fire fatalities and fire losses. LiveSafe aims to help finance fire safety education where means are otherwise unavailable. LiveSafe is developing and sponsoring programs to help groups find the resources needed to advance individual and community fire safety.
Tags: CPSC, fire safety, fireplaces, Heating safety, nfpa, smoke alarms, space heater, Sparky The Fire Dog
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This Sunday, February 14, 2010, ABC’s Extreme Makeover-Home Edition will feature a two-hour Valentine’s Makeover from 8:00-10:00pm featuring the installation of a fully sprinklered home and more! Ty Pennington takes his team to Prince George’s County, Maryland where he’s going to help the Tripp family. Over the years they have helped the kids in the local community by running a bus service and offering activities, which they supervise to make sure they are kept safe in what is generally a rough area. Maryland based Livingston Fire Protection, fully sprinklered two properties, donating over three weeks of design, more than 500 hours of field installation, fabrication and trucking time, as well as many hours of dedicated employee’s time.
Recent Studies prove that sprinklers protect the environment. According to the research and reports from a study performed in a collaborative effort of FM Global and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition they identified the following points:
“At a January 19, 2010 press conference at the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, Christopher Wieczorek, PhD, a senior research specialist at FM Global, showed side-by-video of the rooms burning. Forty-four seconds after ignition, the single sprinkler head in the protected living room activated and began to fight the fire, while fire raged in the unprotected room. After five minutes, the fire in the sprinklered room continued to be contained, while in the unprotected room, every combustible item was burning.
After the test, FM Global compared the environmental impact of each fire, specifically:
- the types, quantity and duration of air and water pollutants released from a home fire
- water usage from fire sprinklers and firefighters’ hoses
- the environmental impact resulting from burning household furnishings and finish materials as well as disposing the fire-damaged contents of a home
- the carbon footprint associated with rebuilding a burnt home
Announcing the initial findings of the study, Dr. Wieczorek said that in the event of a home fire where sprinklers are present:
- the release of greenhouse gases (CO2) are reduced by 99%
- the amount of water usage is reduced by 50%
- the amount of fire damage to the room is less than 3%, compared to a 100% loss in the unprotected room
Dr. Wieczorek added that the amount of materials burned by the fire that had to go into a landfill, and the amount of raw materials needed to rebuild after a fire were also reduced.”
NFPA, who is committed to the Fire sprinkler Initiative, is doing all they can to bring a higher level of safety to our homes. According to their studies:
- Roughly 84% of all civilian fire deaths in 2007 resulted from home structure fires.
- If you have a reported fire in your home, the risk of dying decreases by about 80% when sprinklers are present.
Sprinkler advocates across the country have asked for a coordinated effort to encourage the use of home fire sprinklers. NFPA has launched that effort through the “Fire Sprinkler Initiative®: Bringing Safety Home.” The initiative includes a variety of proven, effective ways that home fire sprinkler advocates can communicate the impact of sprinklers.
This Web site provides resources for the fire service and other sprinkler advocates who want to demonstrate the need for home fire sprinklers in their community. Tools and field resources available in the website help advocates talk with local elected officials and others about the life-saving impact of sprinklers.
In addition, the site contains information to help home fire sprinkler advocates navigate the legislative process to get sprinkler ordinances introduced and passed in their communities and allow them to come together to share their ideas, successes, and tools with other advocates across the country.
The Fire Sprinkler Initiative, in cooperation with many other interested individuals and organizations, encourages the use of home fire sprinklers through increased awareness and adoption of local ordinances or model codes.
For more information, please visit www.firesprinklerinitiative.org or www.nfpa.org for more information.
LiveSafe Foundation is an Ohio based non-profit organization (501c3), and leading grassroots movement, devoted to making fire safety education, awareness initiatives and life saving tools available on a broad basis to communities, campuses, and institutions in an effort to reduce national fire fatalities and fire losses. LiveSafe aims to help finance fire safety education where means are otherwise unavailable. LiveSafe is developing and sponsoring programs to help groups find the resources needed to advance individual and community fire safety.
Tags: ABC Extreme Home Makeover, Environment, fire safety, Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, nfpa, Sprinklers, TV, Valentines Day, water
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Hot liquids burn like fire and can injure the people you love. Scald injuries affect all ages. Young children and the elderly are most vulnerable. This is why the American Burn Association wants to provide you with information on scald injury prevention.
Annually in the United States and Canada, over 500,000 people receive medical treatment for burn injuries. Roughly half of these injuries are scalds. Most burns occur in the home, usually in the kitchen or bathroom. Scald injuries are painful and require prolonged treatment. They may result in lifelong scarring and even death. Prevention of scalds is always preferable to treatment and can be accomplished through simple changes in behavior and the home environment.
In conjunction with Burn Awareness Week, (February 7 – 13, 2010) the American Burn Association and several other prevention organizations are providing information relating to scald burns for use in your own communities. Although anyone can sustain a scald burn, certain people are more likely to be scalded —infants, young children, older adults and people with disabilities. These high risk groups are also more likely to require hospitalization, suffer complications and experience a difficult recovery. Most burn injuries occur in the person’s own home and the vast majority of these injuries could have easily been prevented.
Tap water scalds are often more severe than cooking-related scalds. 
The American Burn Association recommends the following simple safety tips to decrease the risk to yourself and those you love from tap water scalds:
- Set home water heater thermostats to deliver water at a temperature no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit / 48 degree Celsius. An easy method to test this is to allow hot water to run for three to five minutes, then test with a candy, meat or water thermometer.
- Adjust the water heater and wait a day to let the temperature drop. Re-test and re-adjust as necessary.
- Provide constant adult supervision of young children or anyone who may experience difficulty removing themselves from hot water on their own. Gather all necessary supplies before placing a child in the tub, and keep them within easy reach.
- Fill tub to desired level before getting in. Run cold water first, then add hot. Turn off the hot water first. This can prevent scalding in case someone should fall in while the tub is filling. Mix the water thoroughly and check the temperature by moving your elbow, wrist or hand with spread fingers through the water before allowing someone to get in.
- Install grab bars, shower seats or non-slip flooring in tubs or showers if the person is unsteady or weak.
- Avoid flushing toilets, running water or using the dish- or clothes washer while anyone is showering.
- Install anti-scald or tempering devices. These heat sensitive instruments stop or interrupt the flow of water when the temperature reaches a pre-determined level and prevent hot water that is too hot from coming out of the tap.
- Cooking-related scalds are also easy to prevent. Some things you can do to make your home safer from cooking-related burns include:
- Establish a “kid zone” out of the traffic path between the stove and sink where children can safely play and still be supervised. Keep young children in high chairs or play yards, a safe distance from counter- or stovetops, hot liquids, hot surfaces or other cooking hazards.
- Cook on back burners when young children are present. Keep all pot handles turned back, away from the stove edge. All appliance cords should be coiled and away from the counter edge. During mealtime, place hot items in the center of the table, at least 10 inches from the table edge. Use non-slip placemats instead of tablecloths if toddlers are present.
- Never drink or carry hot liquids while carrying or holding a child. Quick motions may cause spilling of the liquid onto the child.
Burn Awareness Week, observed the first full week in February, is designed to provide an opportunity for burn, fire and life safety educators to unite in sharing a common burn awareness and prevention message in our communities. For more information about preventing scald burns, contact the American Burn Association at 312-642-9260 or www.ameriburn.org.
Other Burn Prevention resources include:
- www.burninstitute.org
- www.burnprevention.org
- www.burnfoundation.org
- www.peoplesburnfoundation.org
- www.phoenix-society.org
LiveSafe Foundation is an Ohio based non-profit organization (501c3), and leading grassroots movement, devoted to making fire safety education, awareness initiatives and life saving tools available on a broad basis to communities, campuses, and institutions in an effort to reduce national fire fatalities and fire losses. LiveSafe aims to help finance fire safety education where means are otherwise unavailable. LiveSafe is developing and sponsoring programs to help groups find the resources needed to advance individual and community fire safety.
Tags: burn prevention, fire safety, scalds, water temperatures
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Help Stamp out Fires! With our help, YOU have the power to prevent tragedy and protect loved ones and property with simple, affordable tools that help ensure your safety.
During this season of giving and, as you consider year-end charitable donations, please put the LiveSafe Foundation on your list. A burning knowledge saves lives and is fueled by the generous support of our fan base consisting of industry supporters, friends and partner organizations. In our first year alone – thanks to contributions – the LiveSafe Education Fund was able to award textbook credits as an incentive to students at the University of Utah for participating in NIFAST’s Flashpoint College Fire Safety Program, as well as awarding scholarships in each of the fifty states to home inspectors. LiveSafe granted 100 InterNACHI inspectors the NIFAST Residential Fire Safety Inspection Program.
Investment in LiveSafe will yield great returns in making fire safety education and life saving tools available on a broad basis to communities, campuses and institutions. Your donations provide direct incentives to students in financial need. Donate now to help sponsor a school, homeowner or community with education focused on saving lives. We appreciate gifts of all sizes! LiveSafe is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit foundation and now more than ever needs your help. Every gift means so much and is tax-deductible.
For more information or to make a tax-deductible gift, please contact us at Live-Safe.org or call 614.207.6872 to learn more about LiveSafe today.
Please make your check payable to:
3486 E. Dublin-Granville Road
Westerville, Ohio 43081
If requested, your tax-deductible contribution can be specifically directed to the LiveSafe Education Fund. With appreciation – for your generous giving!
Will you help us? Be a hero by promoting safety in this way!
Join Us. Get Safe – Stay Safe – Live Safe!
LiveSafe Foundation is an Ohio based non-profit organization (501c3), and leading grassroots movement, devoted to making fire safety education, awareness initiatives and life saving tools available on a broad basis to communities, campuses, and institutions in an effort to reduce national fire fatalities and fire losses. LiveSafe aims to help finance fire safety education where means are otherwise unavailable. LiveSafe is developing and sponsoring programs to help groups find the resources needed to advance individual and community fire safety.
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November and December brings us all a time of Thanksgiving. It’s a perfect time to pause and count our many blessings. It’s a time to share and spend time with loved ones and give thanks for a year that will soon come to a close. It is also a time to break bread together. Thanksgiving dinner has always been one of my favorite meals, as it’s an opportunity to gather with family, cook together and share stories around a festive holiday table. Thanksgiving is also the peak day for home cooking fires according to the National Fire Protection Association. In the midst of preparing our family meals, I urge you to take precautionary measures to prevent burns or a kitchen fire.
- Keep the stovetop clear of combustibles that can burn such as potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, towels or curtains.
- Don’t leave food cooking overnight or while you are away in another room. Keep an eye on the stovetop. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires. If you must leave even for a short time, turn off the stove. Use a timer to remind you that you’re cooking.
- If a small fire occurs on the stovetop, cover it with a lid or a larger pan and turn the burner off. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled. Water should never be used on a grease fire as it often spreads the fire and causes serious injuries.
- If you attempt to use a fire extinguisher on a grease fire make sure the extinguisher is properly maintained and you are trained to use it. When in doubt, get out. Close any doors behind you, evacuate the house and call 9-1-1. Over half of home cooking injuries occur when victims try to fight the fire themselves.
- If a fire occurs in your oven, keep the oven door closed and turn it off. By keeping the door closed, you will keep oxygen from fueling the fire and burning you and your clothing.
- Keep the number of people in your kitchen to a minimum, especially children. Crowded kitchens can cause confusion and result in burns. Have a “kid-free zone” of at least three feet around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried.
- Turn pot handles on the stovetop toward the center of the stove so they are not easily bumped.
- Make sure electrical appliance cords aren’t hanging over the counter.
- Always use cooking equipment that has been tested and approved by a recognized testing facility such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Turkey fryers are not certified by UL due to the high risk of tip over, spill over, or over heating which can lead to hot oil exposure, severe burns and a fire. Cooking bags and approved roasters can be excellent alternatives.
Most importantly, November and December is a time to offer help to those in need, generally when it is most critical. What a perfect way to show your holiday spirit than by helping those less fortunate than you. Consider donating canned goods to help provide a warm holiday dinner to your local food bank. Food banks throughout the country are seeing more and more working people needing assistance providing food for their families. They attribute this due to the rising costs of food, housing, utilities, health care, and gasoline. Food manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers are finding that they have less surplus food to donate to the food banks. Additionally the government help has decreased over the years. It’s easy, just search your hearts and pantries and donate some of the much needed items. May your Thanksgiving and Holiday season be FIRE SAFE and blessed with the bounty of the season, love of family, friends and a harvest of smiles! Pumpkin Cookie Recipe – Enjoy! 1 ½ cups brown sugar (packed) 1 tbsp. baking powder 1 cup chopped pecans ½ cup shortening 1 tsp. cinnamon 2 eggs ½ tsp. nutmeg 1 ¾ cups canned pumpkin ¼ tsp. salt 2 ¾ cups Gold Medal Flour 1 cup raisins Heat oven to 400 degrees (mod. Hot). Mix sugar, shortening, eggs, and pumpkin thoroughly. Measure flour by sifting. Blend dry ingredients; add to pumpkin mixture, stirring until well blended. Add raisins and pecans. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 min., or until lightly browned . Cookies may be iced when cool with a thin butter icing. Makes about 6 doz. Cookies. Note; if you use Gold Medal Self Rising Flour, omit baking powder and salt.
Article Source: Fire Marshal Alan Perkins, CFPS, Washington Township Fire Department, Dublin, Ohio. For more information, contact: Leslie Dybiec, Public Information Officer Phone: (614) 652-3928 Fax: (614) 766-2507 or ldybiec@wtwp.com.
Live Safe Foundation is an Ohio based non-profit organization (501c3), and leading grassroots movement, devoted to making fire safety education, awareness initiatives and life saving tools available on a broad basis to communities, campuses, and institutions in an effort to reduce national fire fatalities and fire losses. Live Safe aims to help finance fire safety education where means are otherwise unavailable. Live Safe is developing and sponsoring programs to help groups find the resources needed to advance individual and community fire safety.
Tags: Cooking, fire safety, Food Bank, nfpa, Thanksgiving, Turkey, UL
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Salt Lake City, Utah – The Live Safe Foundation is thrilled to provide Textbook Credits as an incentive to the Greek community and Freshmen Residents at the University of Utah for participating in NIFAST’s (National Institute of Fire and Safety Training) Flashpoint College Fire Safety program at University of Utah. This past Monday, November 2, 2009, The University of Utah hosted a Fire Safety Initiative in the Chapel Glen area of campus where students, University officials and the local Salt Lake City fire fighters enjoyed cooking smores and raising awareness for fire safety on campus. A select group of students were selected to participate in taking the NIFAST Flashpoint Test via a bank of computers provided in the adjacent Residential Building. In support of the National Campus Fire Safety initiative and Fire Prevention Week in October, the University of Utah and its Greek community proudly collaborated with NIFAST in launching an on-campus fire safety curriculum that measures results helping to fulfill requirements by the Right to Know Act outlined recently by the Center for Campus Fire Safety.
This is a huge milestone for fire safety education in the Greek community at The University of Utah and just a starting point for Greek chapters nationwide. The cause for fire safety education supports recent federal legislation calling for key campus fire safety requirements and reporting and speaks to a clear need in the Greek community – a need to save lives through education. The NIFAST College Program focuses on student housing fire safety issues and risks – and the low level of knowledge most students have in this area. Most importantly, should the worst happen, the student will know how to approach a fire incident calmly.
“The biggest problem with fire safety is that no one thinks they will die in a fire. The challenge is to convince them that it is possible and to know what to do. The fact is fire is the leading cause of property damage worldwide,” explains Steve Smith, Executive Director of the National Institute of Fire and Safety Training (NIFAST).
NIFAST’s Flashpoint College Program is an innovative, “first of its kind”, with a custom online curriculum and test designed for students. The platform is an extremely comprehensive and in-depth curriculum with interactive training modules and thorough assessments, as well as a personal certificate of completion provided at the end. It is a home study course that is designed for convenience to encourage high participation levels and it is securely accessible through a training portal on the internet and administered exclusively between NIFAST and the University of Utah.
The Program:
- Instructs enrollees online
- Follows-up with an online assessment
- Provides instant results and instructional feedback
- Assigns and provides specific reading materials based on need
- Re-assesses until mastery is achieved – online tutorial corrects wrong answers and gives in-depth answers to missed questions
- Provides enrollees with proof of certification
- Provides the university with access to test data
The NIFAST College Program provides the school the capability to measure the student’s understanding. There are indicators of what students have learned and what they have not. With current legislation requiring schools to raise their measures of improvement, this is a huge burden on the schools.
The Live Safe Foundation cares that people know how to protect themselves and is dedicated to getting the message out of the need to prevent fires and the loss of life, as well as providing the tools for students to do this. Live Safe worked with The University of Utah in developing an incentive for the students to complete the test with hopes of 100% participation. The Fraternity and Sorority that finish first will be eligible for a $500 textbook credit, along with offering $5 textbook credits to a pool of Freshman Residents who have successfully completed the course. With over 250,000 Greek students, 12,000 chapters on 8,000 campuses nationwide, Live Safe strongly support’s NIFAST’s focus on providing practical fire safety education.
NIFAST is a national association comprised of certified fire safety professionals, founded and operated by fire safety industry leaders. The NIFAST mission is to broadly increase fire safety awareness, reduce the risk and number of fires, and thereby reduce loss of life, injury, and property damage through education. For more information, please visit www.NIFAST.org.
The Live Safe Foundation is a non-profit organization 501c3, and leading grassroots movement, devoted to making fire safety education, awareness initiatives and life saving tools available on a broad basis to communities, campuses, and institutions in an effort to reduce national fire fatalities and fire losses. Live Safe aims to help finance fire safety education where means are otherwise unavailable. Live Safe is developing and sponsoring programs to help groups find the resources needed to advance individual and community fire safety.
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IT’S EASY AS A-E-D!
by Guest Author: DOUG Turner on OCTOBER 24, 2009
Automated External Defibrillators (AED) play an important part in saving the lives of persons suffering sudden cardiac arrest. Early defibrillation is one of the most crucial of all steps in restoring heart rhythm to normal. Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when ventricular fibrillation begins, or when the heart stops beating altogether. This may be caused by heart attack, electrocution, or asphyxiation. More than 220,000 persons in the United States are victims of sudden cardiac arrest per year, with over 10,000 of the cases happening at work.
AED’s are medical devices designed to analyze heart rhythm and deliver electric shock to the victim. The shock will restore normal heartbeat and possibly save their life during the time spent waiting on EMS personnel, or transfer to a hospital. They are easy to use, compact, portable, lightweight, and safe. It is now common for CPR certified training to include instruction on the use of AED’s.
AED’s are now found in workplaces, schools, ballparks, and many public facilities. The key to success is having the proper training of their use and maintenance. Professional medical emergency providers are accessible to train the company or community personnel that will be responsible for their upkeep and use. The American Red Cross, Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, and American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in North America are strong supporters of the use of AED’s.
Large companies may purchase the devices from a vendor that will oversee the training, upkeep, and medical oversight of the AED’s. Available at various prices, they are well worth their cost when it comes to saving the life of someone who just might not make it to an emergency room. According to an OSHA report, Public Access Defibrillators (PAD), communities with volunteers in first aid training and use of AED’s, had twice as many victims survive, compared to those with only CPR training.
Being a former hospital employee (administrative, not medical), I got to see a demonstration of an AED, and found it to be something I think even I could do, with sufficient training!
Featured Story Provided by: Doug Turner, Texas America Safety Company has been in the industrial safety supply business for the past 20 years. A family owned business with our roots based in the oil and gas industry, also providing safety products to working and sporting individuals. Throughout the years Texas America Safety Company have learned quite a bit in the safety business and offer their experiences with the www.blog4safety.com website. It is chock full of safety tips, safety articles and other information to help raise safety awareness at home or the workplace.
Tags: aed, cardiac arrest, Defibrillators, heart attack
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Autumn is a favorite time of year for many people – the feeling of crisp air and the crackling of leaves under your shoes, the smell of wood burning from outdoor firepits, the beautiful colors of the trees and the plumes of smoke flying from chimney tops. Fire is an essential part of our lives. We cannot do without it, but we must stop unwanted fires that can destroy our buildings, lives and jobs. Unfortunately, due to human carelessness, the smoke and crackling can sometimes come from often preventable and destructive fires.
More than 4,000 Americans die each year in fires and 20,000 are injured. An overwhelming number of fires occur in the home or outside in the yards. It is a time to practice fire safety. There are “time-tested” ways to prevent and survive a fire. It isn’t a question of luck, but a matter of communicating and planning ahead. Those enjoying the pleasures of the outdoors and the woods are often careless with campfires, matches and cigarettes. Be careful when sitting around a campfire. One in every six burn related injuries to children 0-14 is a flame burn. Keep children away from access to matches and lighters. Older children are most likely to receive burns as a result of misusing flammable liquids and aerosol cans. The falling leaves at this time of year bring out homeowners who burn piles of yard debris. The falling temperatures encourage home owners to fire up furnaces, heaters and fireplaces to keep warm.
Unfortunately, with the current recession, many of those consumers are going to be looking for ways to save on those heating costs and may trade safety for savings. When the wonders of the season become the terrors of uncontrolled fire, seconds count. During an emergency you may panic, so you and your family must know the best and safest ways to get out. Practice escape routes in the event of fires in different parts of the home. If children, the elderly or disabled live with you, special plans must be made for their safety – practice often. The escape plan is only effective if you talk about it with your family and use it. In many cases, these family members will need help and direction to escape. Without practice, even the best plan will be of little help in an emergency and also reveals any misunderstandings and problems in the escape plans. Practice helps everyone in the home know and remember what to do when emergencies happen.
Take notice from previous victims of disaster. Things can be replaced. People cannot. Hard as it may be, focus on getting people out and calling for help – 911 as soon as possible. One of the most common mementos people try to save is the photo album. Consider copying all your favorite photos onto computer storage. This should also be done with important papers. Store these copies in a safety deposit box. Even if the originals are destroyed, they can be recreated.
Not all fires can be prevented but many, if not most, can. Make your home fire safe.
- Remove fallen leaves and debris from around the house and outbuildings. When planting next to structures, use plants that do not dry or burn easily.
- If you must burn leaves and debris outside, follow your localities rules for outside burning. Be particularly mindful of drought conditions, wind and humidity. Be aware of trees and structures close enough to catch flying embers. ALWAYS have a working hose within reach of the burn and NEVER leave an outside fire unattended.
- Do a fire inspection inside the home. Many fire departments and organizations like NIFAST (The National Institute for Fire and Safety Training) will help identify potential problems.
- Check all heating systems. This should be done by a professional.
- Make sure chimneys, flues, fireplaces and wood stoves are in safe working order. Have furnaces routinely checked and maintained. Never put ashes from a fireplace or woodstove on the ground or in a flammable container unless they are cold.
- Keep indoor heaters and other heat sources away from all other objects. There should be 3 feet or more clear area around each heat source. Heaters should have automatic shut offs in the event the unit is tipped over. These heaters should not be used while you are sleeping.
- Do NOT use anything but approved heaters for warming your home. Stoves, ovens, and grills are not for use inside.
- Emergency generators should be outside the home. Each year, hundreds of people die from carbon monoxide poisoning or from fires stared by improper use of this equipment.
- Many items can be heat sources for a fire. Lamps, especially halogen, should be away from clothes, drapes and curtains. Clean the lint from around your dryer to prevent fire.
- All electrical cords should be checked for knotting or fraying. Discard damaged cords.
- Exercise caution with candles, matches, lighters, stoves, and small appliances. Children, pets and these items do not mix.
- Have at least one smoke and carbon monoxide detector and fire extinguisher on each floor of your home. Smoke detectors should be outside each sleeping area, kitchen and any area containing a heat source such as fireplace or wood stove. Check all detectors monthly and change batteries no less than twice a year.
- A fire extinguisher should be within easy access of the kitchen, fireplace or wood stove and garage or workshop. Check extinguishers twice yearly.
- Your home is a place of refuge and enjoyment. Paying attention to and correcting potential fire hazards can keep it that way.
Never take the attitude that fires won’t happen or any building or home is “fireproof”. Do what you can to prevent fires, but always be prepared by knowing what actions to take if one occurs.
Good teamwork is a must with you and your family. To prevent fires we must all work together!
For more information about Home Fire Prevention, please contact: The U.S. Fire Administration. Visit the USFA website at www.usfa.fema.gov
Tags: Autumn, burning, chimney, fire prevention, fire safety, firepits, nfpa, wood
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In 2003-2004, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated annual average of 3, 570 structure fires in dormitories, fraternities, and sororities that resulted in 7 civilian deaths and 54 civilian fire injuries. For many students, college will be their first time living away from home, as they make new fiends and establish new routines. A number of factors include candle use, cooking, smoking and misuse of electrical appliances can heighten the risk of fire in any campus environment.
College students living away from home should take a few minutes to make sure they are living in a fire-safe environment by following these safety tips:
- Look for housing equipped with an automatic fire sprinkler system when choosing a dorm or off-campus housing.
- Make sure your dormitory or apartment has smoke alarms inside each bedroom, outside every sleeping area and on each level. For the best protection, all smoke alarms should be interconnected so that when one sounds they all sound.
- Test all smoke alarms at least monthly.
- Never remove batteries or disable the alarm.
- Learn the building’s evacuation plan and practice all drills as if they were the real thing.
- If living off campus, have a fire escape plan with two ways out of every room.
- During a power outage, use a flashlight not candles.
- Burn candles only if the school permits their use. A candle is an open flame and should be placed away from anything that can burn. NEVER leave a candle unattended. Blow it out when leaving the room or going to sleep. (Consider this candle solution: Glade® Wisp Flameless Candle)
- Cook only where it is permitted.
- Stay in the kitchen when cooking. Up to 75 percent of all structure fires involve cooking equipment.
- Cook only when you are alert, not sleepy or drowsy from medicine or alcohol.
- If you smoke, smoke outside and only where it’s permitted. Don’t smoke in bed or when you’ve been driving or are drowsy.
- Check the school’s rules before using any electrical appliances.
- Use a surge protector for the computer and plug the protector directly into an outlet.
Guest Columnist, Fire Marshal Alan Perkins of the Washington Township Fire Department.
News Update: Today, September 17, 2009, “marks the fifth anniversary of National Campus Fire Safety Month with the goal of having more schools, communities, students and parents aware of the dangers of fire and engaged in learning what they can do to make sure tragedy does not strike.” (source: Ed Comeau, Publisher, Campus Firewatch www.campus-firewatch.com.) For more information on National Campus Fire Safety Month can also be found at www.CampusFireSafetyMonth.org.
Tags: Campus, candles, college, fire safety, smoke alarms
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Live Safe Foundation mission is the “New Green”
Who would have predicted that the going green movement that took place back in the 1970’s would become such a tremendous social movement today. Back in my days at college, I remember thinking that only hippies or “granola-loving” people are really concerned.
It’s hard to believe that I make conscious buying decisions everyday based upon the impact of a carbon footprint – from the bags I buy, the light bulbs I install to the water bottles I drink – I carefully choose what is best for the environment. Look at what the grassroots movement from regular people across the globe has created in the world today without government attention!
A new generation today…
Sadly, many people and businesses are still ignorant to the importance of having fire safety training and awareness in our homes, communities, college environment and workplace.
They say…
“We have enough protection in place and the cost for upgrades is too high.”
“Fires rarely occur. It won’t happen to us.”
“Alarms are usually false and the smoke will wake me up in time to get out.”
NOT TRUE!
PEOPLE DO CARE – as citizens, employers, employees, educators and parents. We care about the people who have lost loved ones to fire. We care because it is a basic human right to want a safe home as much as it is having clean water, food and an environment.
The Live Safe Foundation is looking to make Fire Safety the next frontier – the “new green” – for people wanting to save their lives and property by making choices in their fire safety. We will look for the root problems and offer “pearls of wisdom” that have relevance to learn from the past mistakes and build a better tomorrow. We will apply pressure for fire safety with the same kind of stewardship that the eco-minded people have achieved.
The Live Safe Foundation’s mission is big: to offer education and awareness initiatives that assist in reducing our national fire fatalities and fire losses. We will develop small projects that make a BIG impact! Join the grassroots movement for fire safety – put fire safety in your heart and mind and we’ll see people around the world change their ways! For more information, please join us at www.live-safe.org.
Jill Marcinick is the Founder of the Live Safe Foundation.
Tags: education, enviroment, fire safety
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