A Fire Safe Home: CPSC and NFPA Urge Consumers to Install Smoke Alarms,
Practice a Family Escape Plan Fire Prevention Week is October 9-15
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and
the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) urge consumers to take time
during Fire Prevention Week to check their homes for fire risks and to
develop and practice a family escape plan. CPSC estimates an annual average of more than 386,000 unintentional
residential fires, nearly 2,400 deaths and more the 12,500 injuries each
year from 2006 through 2008. "Build layers of fire safety in your home," said CPSC Chairman Inez
Tenenbaum. "Install smoke alarms on every floor and in every bedroom. If you
already have smoke alarms, make sure they are working. Smoke alarms provide
early warning of a potentially deadly fire and can reduce the risk of dying
from fire in your home by almost half." "Planning a home fire escape is an essential part of being prepared to act
and get out quickly if a fire occurs," said NFPA President James M. Shannon.
"Develop a fire escape plan that identifies two ways out of every room and a
family meeting place outside. Practice your plan at least twice a year."
Safe practices, such as the following, are the first line of defense in
preventing a fire in your home:
1. Install smoke alarms - A smoke alarm should be installed on every level
of the home, outside sleeping areas and inside bedrooms. When it comes to
surviving a fire, a smoke alarm is critical for early detection of a fire
and can mean the difference between life and death. About two-thirds of fire
deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or smoke alarms that don't work.
Install both ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms. Alarms
should have battery backup. Consider installing interconnected smoke alarms
because when one sounds, they all sound throughout the home.
2. Have a family escape plan - Develop and practice a family escape plan.
Make sure everyone knows how to escape when the smoke alarm sounds, whether
awake or asleep at the time. The best plans have two ways to get out of each
room. Designate a meeting place outside. Once out, stay out! To help make a
family escape plan, see this NFPA publication. 3. Cook safely - Stay in the kitchen and keep a watchful eye while you are
cooking. Unattended cooking is the number one cause of cooking fires.
Cooking equipment accounted for the largest percentage of home fires from
2006 through 2008 that were reported by fire departments. For this time
period, CPSC estimates an annual average of nearly 150,000 cooking fires
which is nearly 40 percent of unintentional residential fires. These fires
resulted in an average of 150 deaths each year.
4. Fireplace safety - Have fireplace flues and chimneys inspected for
leakage and blockage from creosote or debris every year. Store fireplace
ashes in a fire-resistant container, and cover the container with a lid.
Keep the container outdoors and away from combustibles. Dispose of ashes
carefully, keeping them away from dry leaves, trash or other combustible
materials. Heating and cooling equipment accounted for the second-largest
percentage of home fires from 2006 through 2008. CPSC estimates an annual
average of nearly 57,000 fires and 220 deaths during that time period.
Fireplaces and chimneys represented the majority of those fires with an
annual average of nearly 27,000 from 2006 through 2008.
5. Electrical safety - CPSC estimates there was an annual average of 150
deaths from 2006 through 2008 attributable to electrical components.
Check the ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) in your home to
make sure they're working. GFCIs can prevent electrocution. CPSC recommends
installing GFCIs in the kitchen, bathrooms and other areas where the risk of
electric shock is higher. Install arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs). AFCIs are designed
to protect against fires caused by arcing faults in a home's electrical
wiring.
For more information, see CPSC's "Home Electrical Safety Checklist."
6. Avoid mattress fires - Don't allow children to play with candles,
lighters or smoking materials. Extinguish candles before you leave the room.
Buy a mattress that meets the federal flammability standards. The open flame
standard limits the intensity of mattress fires and provides more escape
time for consumers. 7. Use caution when smoking - Smoking materials caused the most deaths in
residential fires, an average of 600 deaths each year from 2006 through
2008. Don't smoke in bed.
8. Don't use gel fuel in firepots - CPSC has recalled millions of bottles of
gel fuel due to burn and flash-fire hazards. The pourable gel fuel can
ignite unexpectedly and splatter onto people and objects nearby when it is
poured into a firepot that is still burning. Contact the manufacturer to
return the product for a full refund. There have been deaths associated with
gel fuel.
To see this release on CPSC's web site, including links to various documents
mentioned, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12009.html Mark Cramer
Mark Cramer Inspection Services, Inc.
492 20th Ave. Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785
727-595-4211
Tampa Bay Area Home Inspector
http://www.BestTampaInspector.com Clearwater Home Inspector
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