Keep Giving
At a recent conference in Washington, D.C., attendees discussed recent news reports about increased fire fatalities in residential homes equipped with smoke detectors.
There could be a number of reasons behind the statistics. Perhaps residents hadn’t placed detectors in the proper places or installed enough of them. Perhaps the detectors needed new batteries or were more than 10 years old and needed to be replaced.
While investigators work to determine why the smoke detectors failed to alert the occupants in fatal fires, you can do your part to prevent future tragedies by giving the gift of fire safety this holiday season. Pete Piringer, public-information officer for Montgomery County (Md.) Fire and Rescue, compiled a terrific list of fire-safe holiday gift ideas.
“Why not give a gift that can save a life and/or protect your family?” wrote Piringer.
His ideas include:
Smoke alarms. A smoke alarm should be installed on every level of a home and outside of each sleeping area. Your family is afforded the best coverage with both ionization and photoelectric technologies.
Calendars. Give a calendar with one day a month marked as smoke detector testing day, and include one day each year to remind your loved one to change the battery and vacuum the unit. Also choose two dates per year to practice home escape plans.
Fire extinguishers. Purchase a good fire extinguisher that can be recharged easily. Don’t be fooled by high-pressure door-to-door salespersons making unusual claims.
Flashlights. Encourage family members to use flashlights for emergency lighting instead of candles, to avoid the risk of fire from an open flame.
Escape ladder. This handy device will help people sleeping in a bedroom in a second or third story to escape when the primary escape route isn’t an option.
Sturdy candleholders. These can prevent tip-over when candles are lit.
Fireplace screen. A sturdy screen can keep embers out of the room.
Warm nightwear or bedding. Warm fabrics can help reduce the need for space heaters, particularly at night. Space heaters (fixed and portable) are involved in about 75% of home-heating fire deaths, and NFPA recommends they be turned off at night before going to sleep. Nightwear or bathrobes with tight-fitting sleeves will stay well away from cooking flames and hot surfaces like stove burners.
Large house numbers. Proper marking can help firefighters quickly locate a home at night in an emergency.
Carbon monoxide alarms. While these alarms won’t help keep your loved ones safe from fire, it’s something you should consider for home safety. Often called the silent killer, carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas formed when fuels such as natural gas, oil and wood burn incompletely.
Batteries. Batteries in smoke detectors need to be changed annually. And they make wonderful stocking stuffers.
In addition to Piringer’s list, one of my favorite fire-safe gifts is a battery-operated candle. Available through the Congressional Fire Services Institute and at many hardware stores, pillar candles with batteries are almost indistinguishable from the live-fire pillar candles.
The last fire-safe gift you can give your family is your expertise. Take time to make sure the homes you visit over the holidays have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Also make sure loved ones have an exit plan and know where to meet in case of an emergency.
On behalf of the FIRE CHIEF staff, I wish you a safe and happy holiday season!
