Web posted
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Fire marshal offers tips for home heating safety
By GARY BOWKER
Ark City Fire Marshal
Now that colder weather has arrived, it is time to think about heating fire safety in our homes and work places. Heating equipment is the leading cause of home fires in the U.S. during the months of November through February.
A home fire impacts an American family every 85 seconds, and someone dies in a home fire every two and one-half hours nationwide. Many of these tragedies could have been prevented.
What can you do to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening to your family?
By following these home heating safety tips, you can reduce by fifty percent, the risk of this type of fire from happening in your home.
Many types of home heating equipment are involved in fires each winter season. These include portable space heaters, wood burning stoves and fire places, as well as gas furnaces.
Portable space heater can be one of two types, either electric or fuel -- kerosene or propane -- fired. Both types of space heaters require "space" from combustibles to operate safely. Always maintain a clearance from all combustibles of at least three feet away. Never operate the space heater while sleeping. Purchase only heaters that have built in safety features, such as tip-over safety switch that will automatically shut off the heater if it is accidentally tipped over.
Kerosene heaters must be cooled before refilling with fuel. Always fill the heaters outside and never use gasoline or any other fuel the heater is not approved for by the manufacturer.
Wood burning stoves and fireplaces should have the flue pipes and chimneys cleaned once a year before the heating season begins to prevent a dangerous build-up of combustible creosote inside of the chimney flue. This is a common cause of many chimney fires. To help prevent creosote deposits from forming inside of the flue, burn only seasoned hardwoods.
Avoid burning damp or green wood, rubbish, or treated wood scraps. Insure the metal screen or the glass doors are closed when in use to prevent sparks or hot embers from popping out of the firebox. And as always, never go to bed without closing the screen and glass doors.
Hedge, or Osage orange, firewood is a very common heating fuel, which produces very high temperatures and should only be used in a wood burning stove that is completely enclosed, due to excessive popping of embers. Care must also be taken to avoid over-firing the unit. Prolonged intense heating from Hedge will deteriorate the appliance and can result in a fire around the unit. Factory-built fireplaces, wood and pellet stoves must be installed precisely to the manufacture's specifications. Improper installation and clearance distances are leading causes of wood burning appliance fires.
Natural gas and propane furnaces should be checked by a qualified service technician each year to insure the unit is in safe working condition and that the vent pipes are not blocked. failure to do so can result in deadly built-up carbon monoxide (CO) gas within your home. CO is a colorless, odorless, invisible gas that is produced when fuel burning appliances operate. Since you can not see it or taste it, it can kill without warning. If you use any fuel burning appliance in your home, install CO detectors to provide early warning of danger. Victims of CO poisoning usually describe a slow on-set of "flu-like" symptoms and may have a red skin color associated with this. If all members of the household are experiencing these symptoms, immediately call 911 and have your home checked for a possible CO leak.
To help keep your family safe during this heating season, follow the following fire safety tips in your home and workplace:
* Insure smoke alarms are installed on every level of your home and in each room where someone sleeps.
* Change the batteries in your smoke and CO alarms when we change to daylight saving time.
* Develop and discuss with your family a home fire evacuation plan, with two exits out of each sleeping room in your home.
* Have a designated meeting place outside of the home where all family members can meet for a head count and wait for the fire departments arrival. Once you have exited your home, never re-enter the burning structure.
* Immediately call 911 from a neighbor's phone or from a cell phone.
By following these home heating and fire safety tips you can help insure that you and your family members stay safe this winter, and do not become one of the nearly 4,000 victims who die annually in home fires in the US. A family should never have to experience the sad loss of a loved one because of a preventable fire.
Should you or your family members have any questions regarding home or workplace fire safety please contact Fire Marshal Gary Bowker with the Arkansas City Fire/EMS Department at (620) 441-4430.
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