When most people think about the holidays, family festivities and good cheer likely come to mind. What few of us consider is that the holidays also present an increased risk of home fires. Home fires during the holiday season often involve cooking, Christmas trees, candles and holiday decorations. By taking some preventative steps and following simple rules of thumb, most home fires can be prevented during the holidays and beyond.
Cooking
Unattended cooking is the leading cause of U.S. home fires and home fire injuries, with most cooking fires involving the stovetop.
Stay in the kitchen while you’re frying, grilling or broiling food. Keep anything that can catch fire away from the stovetop, and turn it off when you leave the kitchen, even if it’s for a short period of time.
If you’re simmering, boiling, baking or roasting food, check it regularly and use a timer to remind you that you’re cooking.
Create a “kid-free zone” of at least three feet around the stove and areas where hot food and drinks are prepared or carried.
If you have a cooking fire, just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire. Call 911 or the local emergency number immediately after you leave.
If you do try to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and that you have access to an exit.
Keep a lid nearby when you’re cooking to smother small grease fires. Slide the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled. For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.
Candles
Candles are widely used in homes throughout the holidays; December is the peak month for home candle fires.
More than half of all candle fires start because the candles had been too close to things that could catch fire.
When burning candles, keep them at least 12” away from anything that can burn, and remember to blow them out when you leave the room or go to bed.
Use candle holders that are sturdy, won’t tip over and are placed on uncluttered surfaces. Avoid using candles in the bedroom, where two of five U.S. candle fires begin, or other areas where people may fall asleep.
Never leave a child alone in a room with a burning candle.
Consider using flameless candles, which look and smell like real candles.
Christmas Trees
U.S. fire departments annually respond to an average of 250 structure fires caused by Christmas trees. Nearly half of them are caused by electrical problems, and one in four resulted from a heat source that’s too close to the tree.
If you have an artificial tree, be sure it’s labeled, certified or identified by the manufacturer as fire-retardant. If you choose a fresh tree, make sure the green needles don’t fall off when touched; before placing it in the stand, cut 1-2” from the base of the trunk. Add water to the tree stand, and be sure to water it daily.
Make sure your tree is not blocking an exit, and is at least three feet away from any heat source, like fireplaces, space heaters, radiators, candles and heat vents or lights.
Use lights that have the label of an independent testing laboratory, and make sure you know whether they are designed for indoor or outdoor use. Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords, or loose bulb connections. Connect no more than three strands of mini-string sets and a maximum of 50 bulbs for screw-in bulbs.
Never use lit candles to decorate the tree.
Always turn off Christmas tree lights before leaving the home or going to bed.
After Christmas, get rid of the tree. Dried-out trees are a fire hazard and should not be left in the home or garage, or placed outside the home.
Bring outdoor electrical lights inside after the holidays to prevent hazards and make them last longer.
Eagle Fire team members took part in First Aid and CPR training over the past two weeks. Jim Young of Life-Saver Training led the workshops. Team members learned CPR, First Aid and received instruction on using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
To support breast cancer awareness month, Eagle Fire recently participated in a golf tournament. The tournament raised over $24,000 for the Massey Cancer Center. This puts the total donations for 7 years of the tournament at $117,000. The Breast Cancer Golf Tournament is the third largest single contributor to Massey.
This is a video of an annual operational test of a hi-expansion foam fire suppression system we inspect, test, and maintain in an aircraft hangar. This test is performed allowing foam liquid to enter the system for 20 seconds during the flow test.
The Virginia State Fire Marshall’s office has issued a memoradum about a problem with the Reliable Model G-3 fire sprinklers. Of the 183 heads of this type tested, 175 of them failed the test. Based on these results and in accordance with 901.6 and 901.10 of the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code (SFPC) the State Fire Marshall’s Office has determined that these heads are not in compliance with the State’s Building and Fire Codes.
These heads are found in apartments and condominiums, typically on balconies. They are also found in freezers, loading docks and attics in many other types of buildings in areas subject to freezing. This type of head is typically connected to a wet sprinkler system and consists of a sprinkler connected to a pipe containing compressed gas.
If you suspect that you may have these type of sprinklers installed, or if you have any questions, please call Eagle Fire at 800-628-FIRE (3473).
Eagle Fire is one of the founding members of the Virginia chapter of the American Fire Sprinker Association. Eagle Fire and the AFSA are strong supporters of the Central Virginia Burn Camp. The Central Virginia Burn Camp is a summer camp dedicated to providing a special, fun and safe experience for children with burn injuries. This camp offers the chance for these children to enjoy summer fun activities with others who have gone through a similar experience. The camp’s positive, supportive environment helps foster a sense of self-confidence, increases self-esteem, and allows the children to realize they are not alone with their burn scars. To make a donation to Central Virginia Burn Camp visit www.vaburncamp.org.
Eagle Fire is also a strong supporter of the Old Dominion Professional Firefighters Burn Foundation. This is a non-profit organization of firefighters and nurses dedicated to the advancement of burn care, research, prevention, education, and the proper treatment of burns.
October 4-10th is National Fire Prevention Week, sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
This year’s theme, “Stay Fire Smart! Don’t Get Burned,” focuses on ways to keep homes fire safe and prevent painful burns. The NFPA states that each year roughly 3,000 people dies as a result of home fires and burns, and more than 200,000 individuals are seen in the nation’s emergency rooms for burn injuries.
By following simple safety rules, the NFPA says, you can “Stay Fire Smart! Don’t Get Burned.”
• Keep hot foods and liquids away from tables and counter edges so they cannot be pulled or knocked over.
• Have a 3-foot “kid-free” zone around the stove.
• Never hold a child in your arms while preparing hot food or drinking a hot beverage.
• Be careful when using things that get hot such as curling irons, oven, irons, lamps, heaters.
• Install tamper-resistant receptacles to prevent a child from sticking an object in the outlet.
• Never leave a child alone in a room with a lit candle, portable heater, lit fireplace or stove, or where a hot appliance might be in use.
• Wear short or close-fitting sleeves when cooking.
• Set your hot water temperature no higher than 120 degrees.
• Install anti-scald valves on shower heads and faucets.
The Globe Fire Sprinkler Corporation has recalled one model of sprinkler heads after discovering that they may deteriorate over time and fail to operate in a fire.
The recalled sprinkler heads are the Model J Series dry fire sprinklers and come in pendent, upright, and sidewall configurations. The name “Globe,” the letter “J” and the year of manufacture (1990 though 1999) are embossed on the frame of each sprinkler. These dry sprinklers were designed to be installed in areas of buildings where the sprinklers or water supply pipes may be subject to freezing, such as unheated attics, freezers and coolers, parking garages, porches and warehouses.
Recalled sprinkler head (not to be installed in this position)
Recalled spinkler head (not to be installed in this position)
If you have these sprinklers contact Eagle Fire today to arrange for a replacement.
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