Fire Prevention/Safety

Fire Escape Checklist (PDF) Fire Escape Grid (PDF)

THE FACTS

More people are killed in fires than all other natural disasters combined. In fact, each year there are over 5,000 fire-related deaths, 25,000+ injuries, and over $9 billion dollars lost in direct property damage. Fire safety is not something we think about much, often not until it's too late. But over 80% of fire deaths occur in the home. Fortunately, most of these tragedies can be prevented through proper education and preparedness.

The first step in fire safety is understanding exactly what fire is like...

First of all, fire is very fast; it can evolve from a small flame into a major blaze in as little as 30 seconds. Only minutes after that, an entire house can become filled with a thick black smoke. If you awake to a fire, there is not time to grab valuables -- there is only time enough to escape.
Everyone knows that fire is hot, but just how hot is it? Room temperatures in a fire can range from 100 degrees at floor level all the way to 600 degrees at eye level. A fire's heat alone is enough to kill; it can scorch your lungs and melt your clothes to your skin; In only 5 minutes a room can become so hot that flashover occurs, instantly igniting everything in the room. A fire's heat is much more threatening than the flames themselves.
Smoke also is more deadly than flames. It uses up oxygen necessary for breathing and replaces it with toxic gasses that can quickly make you drowsy and disoriented and cause you to pass out before you can escape. Also, the smoke fire produces is so dark and spreads so quickly that it becomes impossible to find your way around even the most familiar room.

This is where escape planning comes in.

PLANNING AN ESCAPE

When a fire starts it doesn't take long for it to get out of control. That is why it is important to have an effective escape plan for everyone in your household. Everyone should not only understand the plan, but also participate in making the plan. Keep the following points in mind when doing so...

Practice makes perfect. The United States Fire Administration (USFA) recommends practicing your fire escape plan every month. Practice crawling with your eyes closed to simulate the actual conditions of a fire. All occupants of your house should practice escaping from every room in the house.
Have a back-up plan. Your primary route may include the conventional means of exiting your house, but in the event of a fire it is very likely that these will be rendered inaccessible. If you come to a closed door, use the back of your hand to feel around the top, the frame, and the doorknob. If the door is hot, do not open it. Seek your alternate route. If a door is cool, open it slowly, bracing your shoulder against it. If smoke comes through, immediately shut it and seek your alternate route. Alternate routes may include windows on lower floors, or upper-story windows that lead to collapsible ladders or an adjacent roof.
If you must go through a smoky area, stay low. Heat and smoke tend to rise, so temperatures and poisonous gas levels are much lower closer to the floor.
Make sure there are no obstacles for escape. Doors, if locked at night, should be easily openable from the inside. Similarly, security bars should have a simple release system that the entire family can operate. Make sure windows and seldom-used doors are not stuck and screens can be easily removed.
Leave immediately. Fire moves very fast, and there is no time to save possessions.
Teach kids not to hide from firefighters. A firefighter's breathing apparatus can easily frighten small children, especially in the harsh environment of a burning home.
Designate a meeting place outside your house. There is no time to meet up inside before leaving. Your meeting place should be far enough from the house to avoid injury and smoke inhalation, but close enough to be easily located, especially at night. A familiar tree in the yard or the mail box at the end of a driveway may be good places to consider. Once there, take attendance, and then send a designated person to go to a neighboring house to call 911.
Never re-enter a burning house. Even if one area appears unaffected by the blaze, that can change very quickly. If a someone is missing, tell firefighters as soon as possible. They are trained to safely search out and rescue missing individuals. And remember, possessions are never worth the risk.

CALLING FOR HELP

The 911 service is available on all phones in Grundy County. 911 is for emergencies only, but if you are unsure whether your situation is an emergency or not, you should call 911. 911 will connect you to the people who dispatch fire, police, and EMS services.

When calling 911, try to give the operator as much information as you can. Knowing the street address as well as nearby streets is very important. If a person is involved, try to get as much information about their condition as possible. Follow the operator's instructions carefully regarding treatment of injured persons. When reporting a fire, you should try to advise what is on fire, the size of the fire, and what the fire is close to or heading towards. When reporting a car accident, find out if there are injuries, trapped victims, roll-overs, or fluid leaks.

Stay calm on a 911 call, and take care to speak clearly. Follow any instructions carefully and do not hang up until the operator tells you to do so. He/she may ask you for your phone number and address in order to contact you at a later time.

All of Grundy County is served by "Enhanced 911" which means that when a call is placed to 911,the dispatcher will be able to see the address from which the call was placed. You still need to stay on the line and give all information possible, but this also means that as long as 911 is dialed, someone will be dispatched to the location.

SMOKE DETECTORS

Smoke detectors are very important to have in every home. They are an easy way to save lives in the event of a fire by alerting the occupants of a house when smoke is present. It is recommended that you have at least one detector on every level of your house, and in hallways outside occupied rooms. Having a detector in every bedroom is also a good idea. You should check detector batteries once a month and change batteries at the same time you change your clocks, unless instructed differently by the manufacturer's directions.

You may also want to consider installing a home sprinkler system. In the event of a fire this can greatly increase your chances of survival and lessen property damage. And by making your home more fire-resistant it will increase property value and lower insurance rates.

FIRE PREVENTION

While planning an escape route and installing smoke detectors are very important, the most effective means of fire safety is prevention. There are many different ways to stop fire before it starts, and while there is no way to completely illuminate the risk, there are some simple precautions that you can take now to ensure your safety in the future.

Of the estimated 4,000 lives lost yearly to fire, 1,000 of these deaths were the fault of fires that started in the bedroom. Many bedroom fires are the result of faulty wiring, misuse of electrical devices, improper placement of portable heaters, curious children, and smoking in bed -- all things that can be prevented.

Electrical fires, caused by faulty wiring or misused electrical devices, account for many household fires and deaths. To avoid this risk, keep the following things in mind:

Never over-load circuits or extension cords.
Avoid running cords under rugs or through high-traffic areas.
Regularly check appliances and wiring. Replace any frayed, worn, old, or damaged cords.
Keep cords and appliances away from wet areas, especially in the bathroom and kitchen.
Only buy electrical appliances approved by the Underwriter's Laboratory (UL).
Adhere to the manufacturer's intent for all electrical products.

Another major cause of home fires is portable heaters. As with all appliances, make sure your heater is UL approved. Make sure your heater has an emergency shut-off in case it falls over. Never dry clothes on a heater, and always allow at least 3 feet of space between the heater and any combustible material. Unplug electric heaters when not in use. For kerosene heaters, use only crystal clear K-1 kerosene (never gasoline or camp stove fuel) and operate only in a well ventilated area.

Wood stoves cause over 9,000 residential fires every year. Carefully follow the manufacturer's installation and maintenance instructions. Look for solid construction, such as plate steel or cast iron metal. Check for cracks and inspect legs, hinges and door seals for smooth joints and seams. Use only seasoned wood for fuel, not green wood, artificial logs, or trash. Inspect and clean your pipes and chimneys annually and check monthly for damage or obstructions. As with any heating device, keep combustible materials at least three feet away from the heat.

Fireplaces should be checked and cleaned regularly. Look for obstructions or cracks in the chimney and call a professional if you see any potential problems. Never burn trash, paper, or green wood in your fireplace. The front of your fireplace should be covered with a screen heavy enough to stop rolling logs and wide enough to catch flying sparks. Do not leave a fire unattended for a long periods of time -- put it out before going to bed or leaving your house.

It is especially important to maintain fire-safe landscaping practices around homes in wooded areas. In the general area around your house, you should remove all brush, dry leaves, and dead branches. Keep grass trimmed and plants pruned. Green grass and plants will also resist fire much better, so be sure to keep the area around your house well watered.

Many fires start at the hands of young children playing with fire. See the section entitled KIDS ZONE for more information on teaching your children how to be fire safe.

KIDS AND FIRE SAFETY

Kids are naturally curious about fire. If you as a parent do not educate them on this matter, it is very likely that a curious child will play with fire. Every year about 100,000 fires are set, and about 300 people are killed as a result of fires set by children. Please use this information to educate your child about the dangers of fire.

Children under 5 years of age are naturally curious about fire. Even if they are generally well-behaved, their natural curiosity can lead them to play with fire unless they are well educated and monitored by responsible parents. Kids will often go to "secret" places such us their bedroom, closets, or under a bed to set fires. Monitor your children closely, and check these areas regularly for evidence such as matches, lighters, or burned material.

Keep all fire-setting materials in a secure location (locked draw, high cabinet, etc.).

Teach your children about fire. Talk about a home escape plan, teach them what fire is like, and teach them how to "stop, drop, and roll" if their clothes catch on fire. Tell them that if your house catches on fire and they can't get out, firefighters will come to rescue them. Make sure they understand that although a firefighter's safety gear can make him/her look like a "monster", they should never hide from a firefighter.

CARBON MONOXIDE

Each year, 200+ Americans are killed and 10,000 hospitalized as a result of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Carbon monoxide is especially dangerous because it is odorless, tasteless, and colorless. It can kill you before you are even aware it's there. The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, dizziness, disorientation, nausea, and fatigue and can be mistaken for the flu at lower levels of exposure.

CO can come from different sources, including gas-fired appliances, charcoal grills, wood-burning furnaces or fire places, and motor vehicles. Since these things are all around us, it puts everyone at risk for CO poisoning, though unborn babies, infants, children, senior citizens, and people with heart or lung disease are the most sensitive. To reduce this risk, every home should have a UL (Underwriters Laboratory) approved carbon monoxide detector installed outside each bedroom. Also, never use your oven or stove to heat your house, never use a charcoal grill inside your house or garage, never leave your car running inside a garage, and have a qualified professional check all fuel burning appliances, furnaces, venting systems, and chimneys annually.

What should you do when carbon monoxide alarms go off? CO alarms are set to activate when they detect a level of CO build-up at which a normal, healthy adult would begin to feel symptoms. Therefore, if no one feels sick when an alarm activates, that does not mean that there is no CO present. If your alarm activates, call 911. Flint Hill Fire Department (or a different department if you live elsewhere) will be dispatched to check your CO level and ventilate your house with fans. If someone is ill, make sure you tell the 911 operator so he/she can dispatch a medical unit as well. If no one is ill, turn off any possible CO sources and open up all windows and doors to encourage ventilation. If someone is ill, evacuate all occupants immediately and call 911 from a different location. In all cases following a CO alarm activation, have a qualified professional check your house as soon as possible.

Sources: FireHouse.com and the U.S. Fire Administration.

Maintained by the Dike Fire-Rescue Department