When was the last time you checked your smoke alarm? Since January 1st, Michigan has experienced 25 fire fatalities and remains a leading state for home fire deaths. These deaths have occurred in homes that did not have working smoke alarms. E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety reminds you that properly installed and maintained smoke alarms on every level of your home are the only mitigation devices that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether you’re awake or asleep, a working smoke alarm is constantly on alert, scanning the air for fire and smoke.
Take the opportunity when you move the clocks forward one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday March 11th, to make sure you test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and replace the batteries as needed. Also replace alarms that are over 10 years old.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in properties without working smoke alarms. A working smoke alarm significantly increases your chances of surviving a deadly home fire.
There are many different brands of smoke alarms available on the market, but they fall under two basic types: ionization and photoelectric.
It cannot be stated definitively that one is better than the other in every fire situation that could arise in a residence. Because both ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms are better at detecting distinctly different, yet potentially fatal fires, and because no one can predict what type of fire might start in a home, the United States Fire Administration recommends that every residence and place where people sleep be equipped with:
- Both ionization AND photoelectric smoke alarms, OR
- dual sensor smoke alarms, which contain both ionization and photoelectric smoke sensors
In addition to the basic types of alarms, there are alarms made to meet the needs of people with hearing disabilities. These alarms may use strobe lights that flash and/or vibrate to assist in alerting those who are unable to hear standard smoke alarms when they sound.
Smoke alarms are powered by a battery or they are hardwired into the home’s electrical system. If the smoke alarm is powered by battery, it runs on either a disposable 9-volt battery or a non-replaceable 10-year lithium (“long-life”) battery. A backup battery is usually present on hardwired alarms and may need to be replaced.
These batteries must be tested on a regular basis and, in most cases, should be replaced at least once each year (except for lithium batteries).
Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement. Many fatal fires begin late at night or early in the morning, so the U.S. Fire Administration recommends installing smoke alarms both inside and outside of sleeping areas.
Since smoke and many deadly gases rise, installing your smoke alarms at the proper level will provide you with the earliest warning possible. Always follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions.
Smoke alarms are not expensive and are worth the lives they can help save. Ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms cost between $6 and $20. Dual sensor smoke alarms cost between $24 and $40.
Some fire departments offer reduced price, or even free, smoke alarms and may install battery operated smoke alarms in your home at no cost. Contact your local fire department’s non-emergency phone number for more information or e-mail [email protected] for more details on a smoke alarm installation program close to Where You Live!
Pets and animals are an important part of our lives. One special dog in particular, can help us save lives in the event of a fire.
Jake the Fire Safety Dog visited Maranda in studio during the Pet Show. For 11 years now, Jake has been helping children across West Michigan learn how to get out of their homes if a fire breaks out.
Jake is part of the E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety Team that brings the smoke trailer to events like the Maranda Park Party. The smoke trailer demonstration shows families what would happen if a fire occurs in their home. The trailer fills with theatrical fog. Participants get to see where the smoke enters, how to stop it from entering, and watch Jake show them how to crawl low under the smoke.
For more information about Jake the Fire Safety Dog visit www.jakethefiredog.org.
Score more points this year by putting kitchen fire safety in your line upWhether you cheer for the Patriots or the Eagles or maybe just watch for the half time show and commercials, the Super Bowl has become an American holiday. Share the information below to keep your communities safe. Super Bowl Sunday is the USA’s second biggest day for food consumption. That means a lot of time spent planning and preparing game day snacks. Before you kick off your menu, take a look at these tips for safer cooking.
Kitchen Huddle Prepare your cooking area. Use back burners or turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. Move things that can burn away from the stove. Keep a timer handy and use it when you’re roasting or baking.
Penalty Flag Frying poses the greatest risk of fire. Keep an eye on what you fry. Start with a small amount of oil and heat it slowly. If you see smoke or if the grease starts to boil in your pan, turn the burner off. Even a small amount of oil on a hot burner can start a fire.
Defense Stay awake and alert while you’re cooking. Stand by your pan. If you leave the kitchen, turn the burner off. Keep a large pan lid or baking sheet nearby in case you need to smother a pan fire.
Illegal Contact Prevent burns when you’re cooking. Wear short sleeves, or roll them up. Don’t lean over the burner. Use potholders and oven mitts to handle hot or steaming cookware.
Defensive Linemen Children need constant adult supervision. If you have young children in the home, keep them three feet from anything that can get hot, including the stove. Put hot objects and liquids beyond a child’s reach so they can’t touch or pull them down. Never hold a child when you cook.
Touchdown! Keep safety in mind when serving on game day too. If you burn candles, position them out of reach of children and away from anything that can burn. Consider using flameless candles that are lit by battery power instead. Food warmers and slow cookers get hot. Place them toward the back of the serving table so they won’t get knocked off. Provide hot pads to prevent burns. Light the chafing dish fuel can after it is placed under the warmer. Make sure nothing comes in contact with the flame. If young children are in your home, supervise them and keep matches and lighters locked away.
For additional fire safety and burn prevention information, visit USFA online at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/outreach/cooking.html. Follow USFA on Twitter at @USfire and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usfire.
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http://woodtv.com/2017/12/06/tips-for-preventing-a-christmas-tree-fire/
The most wonderful time of the year is also the most likely time of the year for house fires. A fire hazard may be right in front of you in the form of a well-decorated Christmas tree.
“Christmas tree fires are…a fast, fast fire,” said Todd Kowalski, Kalamazoo Township fire marshal.
A simple spark can turn a dry Christmas tree into a torch in just 12 seconds, according to a demonstration by the National Fire Protection Association. The same study showed how a Christmas tree fire can engulf an entire room in flames in less than 30 seconds.
The results can be just as harrowing in real life. Firefighters say a faulty electrical connection in a Christmas tree is to blame for a fire that destroyed a home in Hartford earlier this week. The two people who were asleep inside the house when the fire sparked escaped unharmed when a passerby saw the flames and pounded on their door.
To keep your season merry, the Consumer Product Safety Commission provided these Christmas tree tips:
- Fresh, watered trees are much less likely to catch fire. So when buying a tree, look for branches with vibrant, green needles that don’t come off the branch easily.
- Make sure your tree is at least three feet from any heat source, like a fireplace, heat vent or candle.
- Water your tree daily.
- If you buy an artificial tree, make sure it’s labeled “fire resistant.”
“People forget once they go out and cut that tree or buy the tree off the lot, they forget to cut the two inches off the bottom of the tree,” Kowalski added. “That allows the water and kind of everything to soak up through the tree.”
Kowalski said it doesn’t take much to set off a major house fire.
“It’s just a spark,” he said. “Especially if you get a dried-out tree, something that’s been sitting around for a while, something that’s been baking over the top of a furnace register or next to a fireplace, it dries them out even quicker, and it’s off to the races at that point.”
Firefighters also recommend that you have working smoke detectors.
The kitchen is the heart of the home, especially during the holidays. From testing family recipes to decorating cakes and cookies, everyone enjoys being part of the preparations. Kids especially love to be involved in holiday preparations. However, safety in the kitchen is important, especially when there is a lot of activity and people at home.
As you start preparing your holiday schedule and organizing that large family feast, remember to play it safe! E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety offers a few simple tips so you can enjoy time with your loved ones and keep yourself and your family safer from fire.
- Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stovetop or cooking your turkey so you can keep an eye on the food and check on it frequently.
- Keep kids away from the stove. Maintain a three-foot kid free zone away from things that are hot and can burn (the stove, oven, microwave, or food).
- Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy, or coffee could cause serious burns.
- Have activities that keep kids out of the kitchen during this busy time. Games, puzzles, or books can keep them busy. Kids can get involved in preparations with recipes that can be done outside the kitchen.
- Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t use the oven or stovetop.
- Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, pets, pocketbooks, or bags.
- Keep knives, utility lighters, and matches out of the reach of children. Place these tools up high in a locked cabinet.
- Never leave children or pets alone in a room with a lit candle. When you leave the room, extinguish the candle.
- Make sure your smoke alarms are working and are located on every level of your home. Test them by pushing the test button, replace batteries annually and replace alarms every 10 years.
- Never place smoke alarms in the kitchen or immediately outside the bathroom where cooking odors or steam from the shower can cause nuisance activations.
- Keep exits clear and accessible. In case of a fire, everyone in the home needs immediate access to the closest exit leading outside.
If your family needs a new smoke alarm and you are unable to obtain one, contact your local fire department or e-mail [email protected] to learn about the Operation Save A Life smoke alarm installation program close to Where You Live!