Fire Prevention Starts at Home

From the 10/08/2009 edition of the Sun-Times...

Do you and your family regularly check for home fire hazards? If not, there is the potential for danger. Fire departments responded to more than 400,000 home fires in 2008. In fact, more than 78 percent of all structure fires are home fires.

Many potential fire hazards go undetected because people simply do not take steps to fireproof their home - and most potential fire hazards can be corrected with a little common sense.

Click to enlarge image Most potential fire hazards at the home can be corrected with a little common sense.

Cooking fires are one of the leading causes of home fires and home fire injuries. Nearly all kitchen fires start with the ignition of food, cooking materials such as oil or other items found in the kitchen. Heating equipment is another leading cause of home fires. Portable and fixed space heaters, including wood stoves, should always be at least three feet away from any kind of flammable materials. Another leading cause of home fires is electricity. In 2006, more than 52,000 reported fires were due to electrical problems, such as frayed wires, misuse of extension cords and overloaded outlets. Smoking has been a leading cause of home fires for decades. Eighty percent of home smoking fires originate in upholstered furniture, mattresses, bedding or clothing. Bedroom fires are often caused by smoking in bed, misuse or poor maintenance of electrical devices, careless use of candles and children playing with matches and lighters. Fire safety and prevention starts at home, and involves the entire family. Identifying potential fire hazards and correcting them before a fire starts is a lesson in saving lives.

Source: nfpa.org

Activities

- Make a list of five things you and your family can do to help make your home more fire safe, such as:

- checking electrical outlets and extension cords,

- storage of flammable products,

- use of space heaters, etc.

Set a goal to check everything off your list during October.

- Check the labels of each of the upholstered items in your home to see which ones are labeled as made of flame retardant properties.

Partners in Prevention