December 13th, 2010
Wood burning stoves and space heaters are commonly used during wintertime to heat homes because of the high cost of heating fuels. These heating alternatives are also the reason for many residential fires. Many fires can be prevented by easily following safety tips that help maintain a safe home this winter:
Furnace Heating
- Have your furnace checked every year before you begin to use it and be sure that all of the controls and emergency shut offs work properly.
- If your furnace needs repair, do not try to fix it yourself. Take the furnace to a qualified specialist.
- When the furnace is on, check your walls. If they are hot or discolored, you may need additional piping.
- Keep trash and other combustibles away from the furnace.
- Do not discard the ashes inside of your home; place them in a plastic container and dispose away from the house.
Kerosene Heaters
- Always inspect heater properly before use.
- Burning fuel in a house can produce deadly fumes, be sure to have proper venting.
- Only use the fuel recommended for the heater and never use cold fuel, which cold easily expand in the tank.
- Never fill the heater with fuel while it is in use and always refuel outdoors, away from young children.
Fireplaces and Woodstoves
- Make sure the fireplace of stove is properly installed.
- Check your chimney often and clean if necessary.
- Never use flammable liquid to start a fire.
- Use a screen in front of the fireplace or stove to keep embers from jumping out.
- Burn your stove at least twice a day to reduce the build up of creosote.
- Burning charcoal inside can produces lethal amounts of carbon monoxide; always burn charcoal outside.
- Never close your damper with hot coals inside the fireplace.
Always wear proper clothing when using these heating devices; loose clothing can be easily ignited and make sure to always turn off heating devices before going to sleep. Every level of your residence should have properly working smoke alarms. Be sure to check out more home safety tips.
Tags: fire escape plan, fire prevention, fire safety, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety Tips, home fire safety, kids fire safety
Posted in Children & Fire Safety, Fire & Smoke Alarms, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety Tips, Uncategorized
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December 10th, 2010
During the holiday season, many people seem to over use their decorations – including the use of candles. Unless they are closely monitored, candles can easily lead to an accidental fire. The National Fire Prevention Association reports that 40% of all candle fires happen in the bedroom and account for 30% of the deaths. Be sure to burn candles safely by following these candle safety tips:
- If possible, try and avoid using lighted candles.
- Check your smoke alarm and fire extinguishers to make sure you’re prepared in case of an emergency.
- Keep lighted candles within your sight and out of reach of children and animals.
- Extinguish the candles if you leave the room or are going to sleep.
- Trim the candlewick to ¼ inch each time before use to avoid excessive smoking.
- Do not light a candle near flammable items, such as bedding, lampshades, and curtains or during the holiday, your Christmas tree and wrapped gifts.
- Use flashlights in place of candles during a power outage.
- Always be prepared with several evacuation routes and identify a meeting location with your family.
For more holiday fire prevention tips, click here.
Tags: fire escape plan, fire evacuation plan, fire extinguisher, fire prevention, fire safety, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety for All, fire safety for kids, home fire safety
Posted in Children & Fire Safety, Fire & Smoke Alarms, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety Tips, Uncategorized
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December 1st, 2010
In the November/December issue of the American Chemistry magazine, fire safety is the top priority. The article Don’t Get Burned by Electronics discusses ways to prevent fire damage to your home by electronic devices. Other than using properly working smoke detectors, the following electronic products needs to be audited as well:
- Electrical Outlets
- Computers
- Entertainment Centers
- Microwave Ovens
- Fire Extinguishers
Click here to read more about this article.
Also, view other articles that mention Albemarle.
Tags: Albemarle, Earthwise, electronic fire safety, electronics fire safety, fire prevention, fire safety, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety Tips
Posted in Fire & Smoke Alarms, Fire Safety & Electronics, Fire Safety Devices, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety Tips, Uncategorized
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November 30th, 2010
According to the United States Fire Administration, fires that occur during the holiday season claim the lives of over 400 people, injure 1,650 more, and cause over $990 million in damage. Since it can take less than 30 seconds for a dry Christmas tree to engulf a room with fire and for Christmas lighting to spark flames, we suggest following the holiday safety tips below.
Live Christmas Trees
- Once you get home be sure to saw a fresh cut from the base of your live Christmas tree. To minimize risk even further, buy a fresh tree with its needles still in places and water it everyday. Watering your live Christmas tree will reduce the risk, to almost impossible, of your tree igniting.
- Keep the tree away from any heat sources. Christmas trees should never be placed next to fireplaces or radiators. Also, keep the tree out of traffic areas so it won’t be easily knocked over. Live garlands and other holiday greenery need to be kept at least three feet away from heating sources as well.
- A well-watered tree will still dry out after about a month, so plan your Christmas tree buying accordingly and take it down after four weeks. If you want to keep your tree up after the New Year, we suggest buying a Christmas tree no earlier than the second week of December.
- Artificial trees pose fewer fire risks than real trees do; just be sure they are labeled as non-flammable.
Indoor and Outdoor Lighting
- Before lighting, be sure to inspect your string of light and throw out any with frayed or cracked wires or broken sockets.
- When decorating, don’t run more than three strings of lights end to end and use extension cords that are in good condition and UL-rated for indoor or outdoor use.If you plan to hang lights outside, do not use nails or staples because they can damage the wiring and increase the risk of a fire. Instead, use UL-rated clips or hangers.
- LED lights are much safer since they do not produce the level of heat that incandescent lights create. Using LED lights will significantly decreasing the risk of your tree catching on fire.
- Do not leave your indoor or outdoor Christmas lights on over night. If you want to keep them on past your bedtime, get a timer to turn them off automatically.
- Take down all lights down within 90 days.
For more holiday safety tips, click here.
Tags: fire prevention, fire safety, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety Tips, home fire safety, homeowner fire safety checklist
Posted in Fire & Smoke Alarms, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety Tips, Uncategorized
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November 19th, 2010
Did you know that cooking fires happen the most on Thanksgiving? According to the National Fire Protection Association, fires are likely to start in kitchens 3 times more than on an average day. This is majorly due to leaving overworked cooktops or ranges unattended. This year, while you’re enjoying the holiday of feasting, please remember the following safety cooking tips:
- Before you start cooking, check to see if your stovetops, burners and ovens are clean as this will reduce the chances of starting a fire.
- Always use cooking equipment tested and approved by a recognized testing facility.
- Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings.
- Never use an extension cord for a cooking appliance, they can overload the circuit and cause a fire. Be sure to use the actual plug on the appliance.
- Be sure to stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you need to leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove – no matter what!
We hope this doesn’t happen, but if it does we would like to provide you with how and when you should fight cooking fires in your home to prevent deaths:
- When in doubt, just get out. Make sure the last person out closes the door behind them; this will help contain the fire. Then call 9-1-1.
- Keeping an oven mitt and a lid nearby can help prevent small grease fires from flaring into large fires. While wearing the oven mitt, cover the small grease fire with the lid and turn off the burner. Do not touch or remove anything until the burner is cool.
- After a fire, all appliances need to be checked and serviced before being used again
- And lastly, never forget to check and make sure that your smoke alarms are working properly.
Tags: cooking fire safety tips, fire escape plan, fire prevention, fire safety, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety Tips, home fire safety
Posted in Fire & Smoke Alarms, Fire Safety Devices, Fire Safety Tips, Uncategorized
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November 8th, 2010
Hopefully this weekend you didn’t forget to change your clocks back but also, we hope you didn’t forget to change your smoke alarm batteries either. The “Change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries” campaign has been around since 1987 and is dedicated to the fire safety in homes. It is important to continuously test all smoke alarms in your house and replace smoke alarms that are more than 10 years old. For an easy reminder, you should change your batteries when you change your clocks to prevent fire deaths. Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of the home, especially inside bedrooms and including any outside sleeping areas.
And although Hawaii and Arizona didn’t fall back with the rest of the nation this past weekend, it is imperative that they are also aware of how important it is to check on their smoke alarms. Smoke alarms are critical for saving lives, especially during the Fall season when many start to turn on their heating systems. There should be heightened attention for the dangers of carbon monoxide and fire damage in the home during this time of year. Even if your batteries don’t need to be changed, you should get in the habit of changing them twice a year, just like your clocks!
Tags: electronic fire safety, fire prevention, fire safety, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety for All, Fire Safety Tips
Posted in Children & Fire Safety, Fire Safety & Electronics, Fire Safety Devices, Fire Safety Education, Fire Safety Tips, Uncategorized
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