With the frigid temps, the United States Fire Administration and E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety offer these tips to keep you and your family safe as you heat your home this winter.
Our media partner, WOOD TV 8, shares these portable generator safety tips, and other precautions from The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and United States Fire Administration to avoid home-heating fires and carbon monoxide poisoning during a blizzard.
The NFPA says home-heating equipment is the second-leading cause of U.S. home fires and home fire deaths.
“As everyone hunkers down during the storm, home heating systems will be kicking into high gear,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of Outreach and Advocacy, in a press release. “Using that equipment safely and properly is paramount to preventing fires and other hazards while riding out the storm.”
Unattended heating equipment, namely space heaters, is the leading cause of home heating fires, according to the NFPA. They say space heaters account for one-third of home-heating fires and four out of five of home-heating fire deaths.
Heating Safety
- Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment. This includes furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves and portable space heaters.
- If there are children in your home, create a three-foot “kid-free zone” around space heaters and open fires.
- Never use your oven to heat your home.
- For fuel-burning space heaters, always use the right kind of fuel, as specified by the manufacturer.
- Plug only one heat-producing appliance (such as a space heater) into an electrical outlet at a time.
- Remember to turn off portable heaters when leaving the room or going to bed.
- Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.
Carbon Monoxide Safety
- Keep portable generators outside, away from windows, and as far away as possible from your home.
- All fuel-burning equipment should be vented to the outside of your home.
- If you smell gas in your gas heater, do not light the appliance. Leave the home immediately and call your local fire department or gas company.
- If you need to warm a vehicle, remove it from the garage immediately after starting it. Do not run a vehicle or other fueled engine or motor indoors, even if garage doors are open. Make sure the exhaust pipe of a running vehicle is not covered with snow.
- During and after the storm, make sure vents for the dryer, furnace, stove and fireplace are clear of snow build-up.
- Test your carbon monoxide alarms to make sure they’re working properly.
- If you begin to feel sick or dizzy while your generator is running, you may be breathing in carbon monoxide. Get to fresh air quickly.
Portable Generator Safety
- Turn the generator off and let it cool down before refueling; don’t refuel it while it’s running.
- Make sure fuel, including gasoline and other flammable liquids, is stored in properly labeled safety containers. Place them outside all living areas and away from any fuel-burning appliances such as a gas hot water heater.
- Always use extreme caution when operating electrical equipment in a damp or wet environment.
- Plug appliances directly into the generator or use a heavy duty outdoor-rated extension cord. Make sure the cord is free of cuts or tears, that the plug has all three prongs, especially a grounding pin. Do not try to power the house wiring by plugging the generator into a wall outlet.
For more fire safety information, click here.
Interview with E.S.C.A.P.E. founder Firefighter Michael McLeieer on the Wayne Powers Show on AM 590 WKZO – 02/12/2015 at 6:50 a.m.
Each winter, many people are injured from exposure in cold water. Skaters and ice fisherman fall through the ice; boaters and canoeists capsize.
Here are some tips to stay safe this winter:
Personal Safety
Always wear a personal floatation device (PFD) when boating, any time of the year. Waterlogged clothing makes it difficult to keep your head above the surface of the water.
Dress Properly
Clothing that is made from man-made fibers does not protect the wearer for long when wet. Wool insulates better from the effects of hypothermia when dry or wet. Keep your head covered since 50% of body heat is lost through the head.
How Thick Is Safe Ice?
Ice on moving water in rivers, streams and brooks is never safe. The thickness of ice on ponds and lakes depends upon water currents or springs, depth and natural objects such as tree stumps or rocks. Daily changes in temperature cause the ice to expand and contract, which affects its strength. Because of these factors, no one can declare the ice to be absolutely “safe”. The only safe ice is at an ice skating arena!
What Do You Do If Someone Falls Through The Ice?
- Call 911 immediately. Make sure properly trained and equipped rescue personnel are alerted to respond.
- DO NOT go out onto the ice. Many would-be rescuers have become victims themselves.
- Reach, Throw or Row. Extend a branch, pole or ladder to the victim. Throw them a buoyant object such as a life ring or float tied to a rope. If a boat is nearby, row out to the victim or push it towards them.
What Do You Do If You Fall Into Cold Water?
- Get into HELP (Heat Escape Lessening Position). Bring your knees to your chest, hold your arms to your sides and clasp your hands. Cover your head if possible to protect your body from heat loss.
- DO NOT try to swim unless a boat, floating object, or the shore is close by. Swimming causes warm blood to circulate to your arms and legs, where it cools off quickly and reduces survival time by as much as 35-50%!
- If you are in the water with other people, huddle tightly together with your arms around each other to preserve body heat.
How Cold Is Cold Water?
Any water that is cooler than normal body temperature (98.6 degrees F) is, by definition, cold water. Cold water drains away your body heat 25 to 30 times faster than air! Cold water does not have to be icy, it just has to be colder than you are to cause hypothermia. The lower the temperature of the water, the faster the onset of hypothermia.
What Is Hypothermia?
Hypothermia is the excessive lowering of body temperature. Core body temperature below 95 degrees Fahrenheit causes shivering, confusion, and loss of muscle strength. If not treated and reversed, hypothermia leads to unconsciousness and death. Safety experts estimate that half of all drowning victims die from the fatal effects of cold water, not from water-filled lungs!
Like fire, carbon monoxide (CO) is just as deadly. It’s called the silent killer because it’s colorless, odorless and invisible. More than 150 people in the United States die every year from accidental nonfire-related CO poisoning associated with consumer products, including generators. When you breathe in CO, it makes you feel nauseas, dizzy, headachy, and tired like you have the flu. It also makes it difficult to think clearly. CO poisons the body by removing oxygen in the blood stream, slowing suffocating you and eventually causing unconsciousness and even death.
Winter snows can create drifts that block exhaust vents, forcing CO to back-up into your home. High efficiency appliances and those with power-vent blowers by definition waste less heat, so the exhaust air temperature is very low. Often it is too low to melt snow or ice in a plugged exhaust pipe or vent. Keep sidewall and direct vents clear of obstructions, drifting snow and bushes to provide proper ventilation.
Where does CO come from?
Heating equipment is the leading cause of CO incidents. It can also come from hot water heaters, gas stoves, gas dryers, barbecue grills, fireplaces, and from cars, lawn mowers, snow blowers or generators running inside the garage – even with the door open. A large number of CO incidents take place between the months of November and February and between 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. This is the time when most heating equipment is being used at home.
Facts & figures
• The dangers of CO exposure depend on a number of variables, including the victim’s health and activity level. Infants, pregnant women, and people with physical conditions that limit their body’s ability to use oxygen (i.e. emphysema, asthma, heart disease) can be more severely affected by lower concentrations of CO than healthy adults would be.
• A person can be poisoned by a small amount of CO over a longer period of time or by a large amount of CO over a shorter amount of time.
• In 2010, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 80,100 non-fire CO incidents in which carbon monoxide was found, or an average of nine such calls per hour. The number of incidents increased 96 percent from 40,900 incidents reported in 2003. This increase is most likely due to the increased use of CO detectors, which alert people to the presence of CO.
What to do if you suspect CO exposure
• Get out of the house or car and get fresh air.
• Call the fire department or 911 from a neighbor’s house.
• If you have symptoms, seek medical help immediately.
For more information on carbon monoxide safety, please visit the National Fire Protection Association or the United States Fire Administration websites.
Scald injuries affect all ages. Young children and the elderly are most vulnerable. This is why Michigan State Fire Marshal Richard Miller, E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire & Safety, and the American Burn Association want to provide you with information on scald injury prevention.
Scald burns are the second leading cause of all burn injuries. Annually in the United States and Canada, more than 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.
“Scalds can be prevented through increased awareness of scald hazards and by making simple environmental or behavioral changes,” according to Firefighter Michael McLeieer of E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire & Safety. “These changes include providing a ‘three-foot-kid-safe zone’ while preparing and serving hot foods and beverages, and lowering the water heater thermostat to deliver water at a temperature not to exceed 120 degrees since tap water scalds are often more severe than cooking-related scalds,” according to McLeieer.
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 throughout Michigan and across the country.
Tips to prevent burns and scalds:
- Set home water heater thermostats to deliver water at a temperature no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. 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.
- Provide constant adult supervision of young children or anyone who is bathing and may experience difficulty removing themselves from hot water on their own.
- Avoid flushing toilets, running water, or using dish or clothes washers while anyone is showering.
- In the kitchen, turn pot handles back, away from the stove’s edge and use back burners when young children are present.
- Use dry oven mitts or potholders. Hot cookware can heat moisture in a potholder or hot pad, resulting in a scald burn.
- Open microwaved food slowly and away from the face.
- Wear short, close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking.
- Establish a “kid-safe-zone” of at least 3 feet around the stove, hot liquids and hot foods. The “kid-safe zone” should be an area out of the traffic path between the stove and sink where children can safely play and still be supervised.
- Never hold a child while you are cooking, drinking a hot liquid, or carrying hot foods or liquids.
General first aid for burns and scalds:
- Treat a burn right away by putting it in cool water. Cool the burn for fifteen to twenty minutes.
- Cover burn with a clean, dry cloth. Do not apply creams, ointments, sprays or other home remedies.
- Remove all clothing, diapers, jewelry and metal from the burned area. These can hide underlying burns and retain heat, which can increase skin damage.
For more information about preventing scald burns, visit the E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire Safety, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital or American Burn Association websites.