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Electrical Fires
Electrical problems account for 45,000 fires, over 400 deaths, and $610 million in property losses a year.
Safety Precautions:
- Routinely check your electrical appliances and wiring.
- Replace all worn, old or damaged appliance cords immediately.
- Use electrical extension cords wisely and do not overload them. They are not ment for permenant use.
- Keep electrical appliances away from wet floors and counters; pay special care to electrical appliances in the bathroom and kitchen.
- When buying electrical appliances look for products which meet the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) standard for safety.
- Do not allow children to play with or around electrical appliances like space heaters, irons and hair dryers.
- Keep clothes, curtains and other potentially combustible items at least 3 feet away from all heaters.
- If an appliance has a 3-prong plug, use it only in a 3-slot outlet. Never cut off the ground pin or force in to fit into a 2-slot outlet or extension cord.
- Immediately shut off, then professionally replace, light switches that are hot to the tough and lights that flicker.
- Use safety closures to "child proof" electrical outlets.
- Replace any tool if it causes even small electrical shocks, overheats, shorts out or gives off smoke or sparks.
Most fatal residential fires occur at night while people are sleeping.
Here are some bedroom safety tips:
- Never smoke in bed. The risk of falling asleep while smoking is too great.
- Do not leave children unsupervised. Store matches and lighters out of children's reach in a locked cabinet.
- Do not place portable heaters within three feet of the bed or other flammable materials, or use them to dry clothes.
- Do not leave electric heaters unattended or go to sleep while they are on, un-plug them after your turn them off.
- Do not run electrical cords over or under the bed, or trap them between the bed and the wall, where heat could build up.
- Never place heat-producing appliances (such as electric curlers) on a bed.
- Use only electric blankets listed by a testing laboratory.
- Discard any mattress made before 1973, when the Federal Mattress Flammability Standard went into effect
- Install and maintain smoke detectors on every floor of your house - including near the bedrooms, or even in bedrooms, and away from air vents. And, sleep with your bedroom door closed.
- Plan and practice bedroom fire escape routes.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Each year in America, carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning claims approximately 165 lives and sends another 10,000 people to hospital emergency rooms for treatment.
What is carbon monoxide?
- Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, tasteless and toxic gas.
- Because it's impossible to detect with out the right equipment, CO can kill you before you are aware of it's presence in your home.
- At lower levels, CO causes mild symptoms including headaches, dizziness, disorientation, nausea and fatigue.
- The effects of CO exposure can vary greatly from person to person depending on age, overall health and the concentration and length of exposure.
- CO is the byproduct of fire and can come from several sources: gas-fired appliances, charcoal grills, wood-burning furnaces or fireplaces, motor vehicles, etc.
Who is at risk?
- Everyone.
- Medical experts believe that unborn babies, infants, children, senior citizens and people with heart or lung problems are at even greater risk for CO poisoning.
Protect Yourself and Your Familty from CO Poinsoning.
- Install at least one UL (Underwriters Laboratories) listed carbon monoxide alarm with an audible warning signal near the sleeping areas and outside individual bedrooms. Carbon monoxide alarms measure levels of CO over time and are designed to sound an alarm before an average, healthy adult would experience symptoms. It is very possible that you may not be experiencing symptoms when you hear the alarm. This does not mean that CO is not present.
- Have a qualified professional check all fuel burning appliances, furnaces, venting and chimney systems at least once a year.
- Never use your range or oven to help heat your home and never use a charcoal grill or hibachi in your home or garage.
- Never keep a car running in a garage. Even if the garage doors are open, normal circulation will not provide enough fresh air to reliably prevent a dangerous buildup of CO.
- When purchasing an existing home, have a qualified technician evaluate the integrity of the heating and cooking systems, as well as the sealed spaces between the garage and house. The presence of a carbon monoxide alarm in your home can save your life in the event of CO buildup.
What to do if your Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarm goes off.
- Evacuate all occupants immediately.
- Determine how many occupants are ill and determine their symptoms.
- Call your local emergency number. 9-1-1
- Do not re-enter the home without the approval of a fire department representative.
- Call a qualified professional to repair the source of the CO.
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