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Posts Tagged ‘fires’

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

Propane, also called LP-gas, is a safe, economical, clean-burning, and versatile fuel when properly used. Regardless of the type of energy you use, safety is extremely important. An understanding of how your delivery system and appliances work, and what to do in case of a leak or other safety-related emergency are extremely important when dealing with propane as with electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, and gasoline. According to the National Fire Protection Association, almost 84% of liquefied petroleum (LP) gas fires in homes involve ignition by some form of equipment. The most common types involved were open-fired grills, hot water heaters and stoves, due to part failures and leaks.

Handle Propane with Care - safety is important!

Follow these important safety tips when using propane at home:

Handle any propane-powered equipment cautiously and always follow the manufacturer¹s instructions. Cylinder tanks for equipment such as stoves and ovens must be located outside of the home.
Never store or use propane gas cylinders larger than one pound inside the home. Any gas leaking from a cylinder could build up and be ignited by a flame or spark, causing an explosion or a fire.
Never operate a propane-powered gas grill inside the home or on a balcony or porch. High levels of carbon monoxide gas can be generated causing serious illness or death.
Have propane gas equipment inspected periodically by a professional for possible leaks or malfunctioning parts.
Carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions and warnings concerning lighting an appliance pilot.
If you smell a strong odor of gas, leave the area immediately and call the fire department from outside the home. To make propane easier to detect in the event of a leak, manufacturers deliberately add a chemical compound to give it the distinctive rotten egg smell.
For more information visit, the Propane Education and Research Council Web site at www.propanecouncil.org.

Article Credits: Fire Marshal Alan Perkins, CFPS, is a 32-year veteran of the fire service. A Certified Fire Protection Specialist through the National Fire Protection Association and a member of several similar safety organizations. Perkins is the Fire Marshal for the 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 and fire and life 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: fires, gasoline, nfpa, propane
Posted in Line of Duty | No Comments »

Heating Systems Spark Fires

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

Be careful! Heating Systems Spark Fires

As the seasons change, the temperatures are turning colder and it will soon be time when we turn on our indoor heating systems. Heating system equipment failures are the second leading cause of home fires in the United States. According to the National Fire Protection Association, an estimated 66,400 home-heating fires occurred in the U.S. in 2007, resulting in 1,850 civilian injuries and $608 million in direct property damage. Common causes of space heating home fires include lack of regular cleaning, leading to creosote build-up in burning devices and associated chimneys and connectors, failing to give space heaters enough space by installing or placing them too close to combustibles, and fueling errors involving liquid- or gas- fueled heating equipment.

As the fall season is fast approaching, heating systems will be necessary to warm our homes. Use caution when using furnaces, heaters and wood burning devices and follow these safety tips.
•   Wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys, chimney connectors and all other solid-fueled heating equipment needs to be inspected annually by a professional and cleaned as often as the inspector indicates. Creosote residue in the chimney caused by burning green wood or by the poor design of some wood-burning fireplaces can start fires which can spread rapidly.
•   When buying a new unit, make sure it carries the mark of an independent testing lab such as the Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Be sure that a qualified technician installs the unit or checks that the unit has been installed properly.
•   Install or place portable space heaters at least 3-feet from anything that can burn (newspaper, cloth, furniture) and always turn them off before leaving the room or going to sleep.
•   Never use gasoline or flammable liquids to start a fire or rekindle a small one in a fireplace because of the danger of fire spreading throughout the room and causing injury.
•   Use a sturdy fireplace screen to keep sparks from flying into the room. Allow ashes from the fireplace to cool completely before disposing of them in a tightly covered metal container, never in boxes or bags.
•   Portable kerosene heaters must be fueled only in a well-ventilated area, free of flame and other heat sources, and only when the device has cooled completely. Use only the type of kerosene specified by the manufacturer for that device, and never use gasoline instead of kerosene.

Tags: fire prevention, fires, Heating safety, home fires
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Total cost of fire up 86 percent from 1980

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released a new report today, Total Cost of Fire in the United States, which finds that in 2007, after adjusting for inflation, the core total cost of fire has increased by 86 percent since 1980.

The complete total cost of fire for 2007 is estimated at $347 billion, making up approximately 2.5 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP).

The complete total cost of fire is defined as the sum of economic loss (e.g., property damage, business interruption), human loss (e.g., lives lost, medical treatment, pain and suffering), and the cost of provisions to prevent or mitigate the cost of fire (e.g., fire departments, insurance, and fire protection equipment and construction).

Other key findings from the report:

* Although the core total cost of fire increased, the economic loss due to fire decreased by 13 percent since 1980, totaling at $18.6 billion.
* The total cost of direct property damages, reported or unreported, totaled at $16.6 billion. This figure represents 90 percent of the economic loss. The other 10 percent represents indirect losses, such as business interruption.
* Human losses are estimated at $42.5 billion.

For fact sheets on the total cost of fire, please visit www.nfpa.org/research.

NFPA has been a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the international nonprofit organization is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. Visit NFPA’s Web site at www.nfpa.org.

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. 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: fires, nfpa, property damage
Posted in Fire Protection | No Comments »

Mulch Fires Common in the Landscape

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

Mulch is widely used in Central Ohio landscapes for both aesthetic and functional purposes. Many homeowners and businesses apply mulch in the spring to help slow the loss of soil moisture during the hot summer months, discourage weeds, and maintain a tidy appearance. There are now many mulches on the market made from a wide variety of materials including ground rubber, pine needles, oat straw, shredded hardwood and cypress bark, pine bark nuggets, shredded pine bark, composted leaves, brick chips, ground recycled pallets–dyed mulches wood, and even cocoa shells.

While mulch can be beneficial in landscape applications, it can also pose a fire hazard. Mulch fires are one of the more common calls the fire department answers during the warm months of the year. These fires are usually caused by cigarettes, matches and other smoking materials that are tossed on the ground before people enter a building or into the median from drivers. Some types of mulch are more easily ignited than others. Typically, mulches that are high in oils such as pine bark and shredded cypress bark, are easiest to ignite according to a study conducted by The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute. Dyed mulches that are commonly processed from pallets can also readily catch fire. In contrast, cocoa shells, medium pine bark nuggets, and hardwood bark were three organic mulches that were tested in the study and found to be more ignition resistant.

Beware of Mulch fires common in landscaping.

To keep mulch fires out of the landscape:
* Do not discard cigarettes or other smoking materials on the ground, in playground areas, or throw them out of your vehicle.
* Ensure proper clearance to electrical devices such as decorative lighting by following the manufacturer¹s instructions.
* Maintain a minimum of a six-inch clearance between landscaping mulch beds and other combustible items such as buildings, shrubs, etc.
* Use non-combustible mulch such as rock or pea gravel around the gas meter and next to combustible portions of a structure.
* Maintain mulch at a depth of two to four inches to eliminate the chance of spontaneous combustion.

Do you have a fire prevention, fire, or life safety question for the fire department? Submit it to fireinfo@wtwp.com.

Line of Duty” Author: Fire Marshal Alan Perkins, CFPS, is a 32-year veteran of the fire service. A Certified Fire Protection Specialist through the National Fire Protection Association and a member of several similar safety organizations. Perkins is the Fire Marshal for the 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.

Tags: fires, mulch, The Ohio State University
Posted in Line of Duty | No Comments »