March 28th, 2011
On average every year, U.S. fire departments responded to 287,000 vehicle fires. These uncontrollable fires usually start in the engine compartment, under the dashboard or, in many cases, because a cigarette has fallen onto flammable material. Many vehicles also catch fire when left alone in tall, grassy areas and the engine is still hot.
People tend to underestimate the intensity of a car fire and place themselves in danger. And because vehicle fires pose a threat of spreading to surrounding structures, we recommend the following actions in case of a vehicle fire:
- If the vehicle catches on fire while it is still in motion, move to the side of the road and turn off the engine.
- Get yourself and others out of the vehicle immediately.
- Get and stay far away from the vehicle.
- Warn oncoming traffic.
- Notify emergency services.
- And never to try to put out the fire yourself.
For more fire safety tips, view:
Change Your Clock and Change Your Batteries
How to Prevent Burn Injuries All Year Long
Tags: Albemarle, Burn Institute, care safety, fire escape plan, fire extinguisher, fire prevention, fire safety, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety Tips, home fire safety, vehilce fire safety
Posted in Burns, Children & Fire Safety, Fire Safety & Electronics, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety Tips
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March 21st, 2011
Not many people know the importance of clothes dryer fire prevention. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are an estimated annual 15,500 fires, 10 deaths and 10 injuries due to clothes dryer fires. Several hundred people a year are also subjected to carbon monoxide poisoning from improper dryer vent setups. Fires can occur when lint builds up in the dryer or in the exhaust duct. Lint can block the flow of air, causing excessive heat build-up, and could result in a fire. It is important for everyone to be aware of this issue, and to clean their dryer filter screen after each load of laundry. Also remember to clean the outside vents twice a year and to occasionally vacuum the motor area of the dryer.
Other ways to help prevent dryer fires:
- Make sure the dryer duct is made of solid metallic material.
- Avoid kinking or crushing the dryer duct
- Clean and inspect the dryer duct on a regular basis
- Use a spin dryer. These uses an extremely fast spin speed to extract water from the clothes
- Never leave the house while your clothes are in the dryer
For more fire safety tips, view:
Stay Safe With the Earthwise Fire Safety Checklist.
Tags: Albemarle, Earthwise, electronic fire safety, fire preparedness, fire prevention, fire safety, Fire Safety Education
Posted in Burns, Children & Fire Safety, Fire & Smoke Alarms, Fire Safety Devices, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety Tips
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March 17th, 2011
According to the U.S Fire Administration, fires in residences have taken a high toll of life and property. In 2009 there were 377,000 residential fires, 2,590 civilian fire deaths, 13,050 civilian fire injuries and $7.8 billion in property damage. It is indicated that if residence had the installation of a fire sprinkler system, it could have saved thousands of lives, prevented a large portion of injuries and eliminated hundreds of millions of dollars in property losses.
Do you have a home sprinkler system? If not, besides saving lives, here are some of the advantages of a newly designed home sprinkler system:
- Fast response: they react more quickly to fires because of their sensitivity and reliability. You will know right away if a fire has started.
- Low cost: these sprinklers only cost about $1.61 per square foot.
- Small size: they tend to blend in with room décor and won’t stick out like traditional commercial and industrial sprinklers.
- Low water required: they can be connected to the domestic water supply.
- Insurance discount: a 5-15% discount is now available.
For more on fire sprinklers, view:
Fire Safety Tips for Your Workplace
Schools are for Learning, not Burning
Tags: Albemarle, electronic fire safety, fire extinguisher, fire prevention, fire safety, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety Tips, home fire safety
Posted in Burns, Children & Fire Safety, Fire & Smoke Alarms, Fire Safety Devices, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety Tips, Get Involved
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March 11th, 2011
In 1994, a law required lighters to be made child resistant and for some reason novelty lighters were exempt. To this day, novelty lighters do not have child-resistant features and many children have been able to figure our how to ignite the lighters. Convenience stores, such as gas stations, often display novelty lighters right in front, near the candy shelves. When adults can’t even tell the difference between these lighters and toys, how can we expect a young child to? Many of these lighters resemble, ironically, fire trucks, fire extinguishers, a Dalmatian wearing a fire hat and even a yellow ducky that actually makes a quacking noise which appeal to children.
To protect our children, the following states have successfully passed a legislation to ban these novelty lighters: Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maine. Although, that seems like a lot of states, many more have failed to pass this legislation or have not even been introduced to this idea.
Be sure to always enact these safety tips with your children:
- Adults must keep all matches and lighters out of the hands of children.
- Store lighters in a high cabinet.
- Buy child-resistant lighters, but keep in mind they are not childproof.
- Teach children not to touch matches and lighters and to tell a grown-up when they see them lying around.
- Never allow children to play with lighters. Children as young as 2 years old have been able to operate lighters and start fires with them.
Tags: fire prevention, fire safety, Fire Safety Education, home fire safety, kids fire safety, legislation, lighters, novelty lighters, toys
Posted in Burns, Children & Fire Safety, Fire Safety Devices, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety Tips
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