Here’s a calendar that will help you and your family practice fire safety every day!
To download your fire safety calendar, click here.
With the Labor Day holiday weekend upon us, it’s a popular time for outdoor grilling. It’s one of the most popular ways to cook food, however, a grill placed too close to anything that can burn is a fire hazard. A grill can also be very hot, causing burn injuries.
E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety reminds you to follow these simple yet important tips and you will be on your way to safe grilling:
Safety For Kids
1. The grilling area should be designated as a “No Play Zone.”
2. The National Fire Protection Association recommends keeping kids and pets at least three feet away from the grill area.
Gas Grill Ventilation
1. Always keep the lid open when lighting your grill. Don’t close it until you are sure the grill is lit.
2. The U.S. Fire Administration recommends keeping the grill in a well-ventilated outdoor area, at least 3 feet away from trees, shrubs, siding, deck rails and eaves. Keep fire pits, personal fireplaces and torches at least 10 feet from your home or anything that can burn.
3. If you live in an apartment, check with your landlord or local fire department to learn where grilling is allowed. Many communities prohibit grilling on a deck or balcony.
4. Never cover the bottom of the grill with foil – it can restrict air circulation.
5. Always use and store propane cylinders outdoors in an upright position.
6. After filling or exchanging a cylinder, take it home immediately. While transporting the cylinder, keep your vehicle ventilated and the valve closed or capped. Do not leave the cylinder in your vehicle.
Firing Up The Gas Grill Safely
1. Never use matches or lighters to check for leaks. And never use starter fluid with propane grills.
2. Do not smoke while handling a propane cylinder, and keep all flammable materials away from the grill.
3. If the grill does not ignite within 10 seconds, turn off the gas, keep the lid open and wait 5 minutes before trying again. If the igniter fails to light the grill after two or three tries, turn off the gas and replace the igniter according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
4. Regularly check the tubes that lead into the burner for blockage from insects or food grease.
5. Never attempt to repair, clean or clear blockages on a hot grill.
Inspect Your Grill Brush
1. If you are using a wire-bristle brush, inspect it carefully and discard if the bristles are loose. Tiny bristles that break off on grill surfaces can lodge in food and are ingested, injuring people;
2. Examine the grill grate carefully before cooking and examine food before consumption;
3. Consider alternative grill cleaning methods such as nylon brushes, pumice stones or tin foil and tongs, which can make suitable cleaning devices.
4. Clean your grill after each use. This will remove grease that can start a fire.
For more information, visit Consumer Reports at www.consumerreports.org/food-safety/wire-grill-brush-danger.
Charcoal Grill Safety
1. Be careful when using lighter fluid. Do not add fluid to an already lit fire because the flames can flashback up into the container and explode.
2. Place the coals from your grill in a metal can with a lid once they have cooled.
General Safety Tips
1. Always have one person in charge of the grill at all times. Never leave a hot grill unattended.
2. Do not wear loose clothing while cooking at a grill.
3. Remove grease or fat buildup in the trays below the grill so it can’t be ignited by a hot grill.
4. Never attempt to repair the tank valve or the appliance yourself. See a propane gas dealer or a qualified appliance repair person. Be sure to locate your model number and the manufacturer’s consumer inquiry phone number and write them on the front page of your manual.
5. If you smell gas and you are able to, safely turn off the cylinder vale, turning it to the right (clockwise). Immediately leave the area and call 911 or your local fire department. Before you use the grill again, have a qualified service technician inspect your cylinder.
6. Cool a first or second degree thermal burn with water for 15-20 minutes. Never use butter, creams or ointments since they can seal in the heat and cause continued burning. Seek medical attention as needed.
7. According to the N.F.P.A., gas grills contribute to a higher number of fires than charcoal grills.
Below is a link to the interview Ken Lanphear conducted with E.S.C.A.P.E.’s President and founder Firefighter Michael McLeieer on the WKZO Morning Show Monday morning 08/27/2018.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, U.S. fire departments respond to approximately 5,690 fires at education buildings each year. These fires caused an annual 85 civilian injuries and $92 million in direct property damage. Almost a quarter of all school fires are started intentionally. Safety education and preparation should be a priority for every family and school official.
E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety offers these tips to play it safe as children and adolescents return to school:
- Fire drills should be held at least once a month while school is in session (weather permitting).
- Principals, teachers or other school staff must inspect all exits daily to ensure that stairways, doors, and other exits are working properly and are unblocked.
- On the day of the drill, the emergency drill alarm should be sounded on the school fire alarm system. Make sure everyone can recognize the sound of the alarm and knows what to do when it sounds.
- Teachers, officials, and staff should be familiar with the school’s fire protection system, including the location of fire alarms pull stations and sprinklers.
- Every room in the school should have a map posted identifying two ways out. In schools with open floor plans, exit paths should be obvious and kept free of obstruction.
- On the day of the fire drill, everyone in the school should participate.
- Students with specific needs should be assigned an adult or a student buddy to assist them. Fire drills are a good opportunity to identify who among the student population requires extra assistance.
- While it’s important to make sure that students leave the building as quickly as possible, order is more important than speed when it comes to conducting a safe fire drill.
- Use the class rosters to ensure every student is accounted for.
- Fire drills should be held both at expected and at unexpected time, and under varying conditions in order to simulate the conditions that can occur in an actual emergency.
- School fire drills are a model for students to use in their homes. Encourage students to practice their escape plans at home – just as they do at school
If a student engages in firesetting or other negative high risk taking behavior, contact your local fire department or visit www.kidsandfire.org for a list of West Michigan Fire Department based Youth Firesetting Prevention and Intervention programs.
College Fire Safety
While the above tips focus mostly on elementary, middle and high schools, they can also apply to college buildings, where firefighters respond to about 3,810 fires each year – 88% of which are due to cooking mishaps. Here’s a college-level course in fire prevention:
On-campus precautions
- Cook only in designated areas
- Keep cooking areas clean and free of clutter
- Never leave cooking unattended
- In case of a fire inside a microwave, close the door and unplug the unit
Campus lab precautions
- Never leave lab experiments or pressure vessels unattended
- Keep flammable gases and chemicals away from heat
Off-campus precautions
- Be sure each bedroom has a working smoke alarm
- Make sure the building sprinkler system is well maintained
- Building heating and fire-prevention systems need to be checked annually by fire officials
General precautions
- Identify the two closest exits and all possible evacuation routes
- Know locations of fire alarms and how to use them
- Report vandalized fire equipment to campus security
Fire Prevention Week is recognized each October. However, fire safety should be practiced 365 days a year. Whether you’re at home, in the office or at school, safety should come first. Do your part to protect yourself and those around you Where You Live!
This morning, Michael McLeieer and Jake the Fire Safety Dog joined Ken Lanphear on The Morning Show on WKZO AM 590 and 106.9 FM to talk about hotel and motel safety after 6 people died over the weekend at the Cosmo Extended Stay Motel in the Berrien County community of Sodus near Benton Harbor.
