Hiram Springer III
44
years of service
1926-2010
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Fire Prevention
CANDLES
Candles are a serious fire hazard. People tend to forget about
them or have pets or children that could disturb a candle and create a
problem. Flameless battery operated candles and accessories are a safe
aesthetically pleasing alternative to traditional candles. They
are safe around children and pets, and can be left unattended without the
worry of being a fire hazard. Please mention Sassamansville Fire
Company with your order from this site www.goflameless.com
and they will donate 20% of your purchase to our NEW TRUCK FUND.
According to the National Fire Protection
Association
-
In 2003, 80% of fires in the United
States occurred in the home, resulting in 3,925 fire deaths.
-
In the U.S., someone dies from a home
fire roughly every 134 minutes.
-
In Canada, someone is fatally injured in
a home fire roughly every 31 hours.
-
Roughly half of all home fire deaths in
the U.S. resulted from fires that were reported between the hours of 10:00
p.m. and 6:00 a.m. But only one-quarter of home fires occur between those
hours.
-
Although children five and under make up
about 9% of the country's population, they accounted for 17% of the home
fire deaths.
-
Smoking was the leading cause of home
fire deaths overall, but in the months of December, January and February,
smoking and heating equipment caused similar shares of fire deaths.
-
Every 20 seconds, a fire department
responds to a fire somewhere in the nation.
With these startling statistics in mind,
here are some safety tips for you:
SMOKE DETECTORS
Smoke is responsible for three out of four
deaths.
-
Install smoke detectors on every level of
your home and outside of sleeping areas.
-
Test every detector at least once a month.
[See your instruction book for the location of the test button.]
-
Keep smoke detectors dust free. Replace
batteries with new ones at least once a year, or sooner if the detector
makes a chirping sound.
-
If you have a smoke detector directly wired
into your electrical system, be sure that the little signal light is
blinking periodically. This tells you that the alarm is active.
-
Inexpensive smoke detectors are available for
the hearing impaired.
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
They remain your best bet if you're on the spot
when a fire begins.
-
Fire extinguishers should be mounted in the
kitchen, garage, and workshop.
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Purchase an ABC type extinguisher for
extinguishing all types of fires.
-
Learn how to use your fire extinguisher
before there is an emergency.
-
Remember, use an extinguisher on small fires
only. If there is a large fire, get out immediately and call 911 from
another location.
THINKING AHEAD: Your Exit Plan
As with other things, the best motto is, "Be
Prepared."
-
Prepare a floor plan of your home showing at
least two ways out of each room.
-
Sleep with your bedroom door closed. In the
event of fire, it helps to hold back heat and smoke. But if a door feels
hot, do not open it; escape through another door or window.
-
Easy-to-use window escape ladders are
available through many catalogues and outlet stores. For instance, First
Alert sells one for around $90.
-
Agree on a fixed location out-of-doors where
family members are to gather for a head count.
-
Stay together away from the fire. Call 911
from another location. Make certain that no one goes back inside the burning
building.
-
Check corridors and stairways to make sure
they are free of obstructions and combustibles.
-
To help cut down on the need for an emergency
exit in the first place, clear all unnecessary items from the attic,
basement, garage, and closets.
FIREPLACE
Remember, you're deliberately bringing fire into
your home; respect it.
-
Use a fireplace screen to prevent sparks from
flying.
-
Don't store newspapers, kindling, or matches
near the fireplace or have an exposed rug or wooden floor right in front of
the fireplace.
-
Have your chimney inspected by a professional
prior to the start of every heating season and cleaned to remove combustible
creosote build-up if necessary.
-
Install a chimney spark arrester to prevent
roof fires.
-
When lighting a gas fireplace, strike your
match first, then turn on the gas.
FURNACE/SPACE HEATERS
Used improperly, a space heater can be the most
dangerous appliance in your house.
-
Install and maintain heating equipment
correctly. Have your furnace inspected by a professional prior to the start
of every heating season .
-
Don't store newspapers, rags, or other
combustible materials near a furnace, hot water heater, space heater, etc.
-
Don't leave space heaters operating when
you're not in the room.
-
Keep space heaters at least three feet away
from anything that might burn, including the wall.
-
Don't use extension cords with electrical
space heaters. The high amount of current they require could melt the cord
and start a fire.
-
When lighting a gas space heater, strike your
match first, then turn on the gas.
-
Never use a gas range as a substitute for a
furnace or space heater.
CLOTHES DRYER
Under some circumstances, dangerous heat can
build up in a dryer.
-
Never leave home with the clothes dryer
running.
-
Dryers must be vented to the outside, not
into a wall or attic.
-
Clean the lint screen frequently to keep the
airway clear.
-
Never put in synthetic fabrics, plastic,
rubber, or foam because they retain heat.
ELECTRICAL HAZARDS
Electricity, the silent servant, can become a
silent assassin.
-
It is better not to use extension cords. If
you feel you must use one, make sure that it is not frayed or worn. Do not
run it under a rug or twist it around a nail or hook.
-
Never overload a socket. In particular, the
use of "octopus" outlets, outlet extensions that accommodate
several plugs, is strongly discouraged.
-
Do not use light bulb wattage which is too
high for the fixture. Look for the label inside each fixture which tells the
maximum wattage.
-
Check periodically for loose wall
receptacles, loose wires, or loose lighting fixtures. Sparking means that
you've waited too long.
-
Allow air space around the TV to prevent
overheating. The same applies to plug-in radios and stereo sets, and to
powerful lamps.
-
If a circuit breaker trips or a fuse blows
frequently, immediately cut down on the number of appliances on that line.
-
Be sure all electrical equipment bears the
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) label.
-
In many older homes, the capacity of the
wiring system has not kept pace with today's modern appliances. Overloaded
electrical systems invite fire. Watch for these overload signals: dimming
lights when an appliance goes on, a shrinking TV picture, slow heating
appliances, or fuses blowing frequently. Call a qualified electrician to get
expert help.
KITCHEN
Careless cooking is the number one cause of
residential fires. Never leave cooking unattended.
-
It's wise to have a fire extinguisher near
the kitchen. Keep it 10 feet away from the stove on the exit side of the
kitchen.
-
Never pour water on a grease fire; turn off
the stove and cover the pan with a lid, or close the oven door.
-
Keep pot handles on the stove pointing to the
back, and always watch young children in the kitchen.
-
Don't store items on the stove top, as they
could catch fire.
-
Keep kitchen appliances clean and in good
condition, and turn them off and disconnect them when not in use.
-
Don't overload kitchen electrical outlets and
don't use appliances with frayed or cracked wires.
-
Wear tight-fitting clothing when you cook.
Here's why: An electrical coil on the stove reaches a temperature of 800
degrees. A gas flame goes over 1,000 degrees. Your dish towel or pot holder
can catch fire at 400 degrees. So can your bathrobe, apron, or loose sleeve.
-
Be sure your stove is not located under a
window in which curtains are hanging.
-
Clean the exhaust hood and duct over the
stove regularly. and wipe up spilled grease as soon as the surface of the
stove is cool.
-
Operate your microwave only when there is
food in it.
CHILDREN and GRANDCHILDREN
One-fourth of all fire-deaths of children are
from fires started by children.
-
Keep lighters and matches out of the reach of
children.
-
Never leave children unattended with fire or
space heaters.
-
Children are naturally curious about fire, so
keep an eye on them. But if a child repeatedly plays with fire or seems to
have a morbid fascination with fire, seek professional help at once.
-
If youngsters live with you or stay overnight
occasionally, be sure that they know how to escape from every room and are
part of your emergency exit plan. [See "Thinking Ahead" above]
GASOLINE AND OTHER FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS
Those cans aren't painted red just for the fun of
it!
-
Flammable liquids should be stored only in
approved safety containers, and the containers should be kept outside the
house and garage in a separate storage shed.
-
Gas up lawn equipment and snowthrowers
outside, away from enclosed areas and any source of sparks or heat.
-
Start the equipment 10 feet from where you
filled it with fuel.
-
Don't fill a hot lawn mower, snowthrower, or
other motor; let it cool first.
-
Never clean floors or do other general
cleaning with gasoline or flammable liquids.
SMOKING
If you actually believe that you're immune from
cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and other ills, at least worry about burning
to death.
-
Never smoke in bed.
-
Don't smoke when you are drinking or are
abnormally tired.
-
Use large, deep ashtrays, and empty them
frequently.
-
Never dump an ashtray into the trash without
wetting the butts and ashes first.
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