Harrison, Pony, Norris, Summit Valley Volunteer Fire Department
Fire Safety Message
Be Safe, Be Smart.
A little knowledge goes a long way when it comes to fire safety. Please take the time to review these helpful prevention tips to keep you and your loved ones safe!
Fire Safety Highlight
Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fires during the months of December, January and February. Please take extra precautions to ensure your safety through the winter months:
- Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, such as the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable heater.
- Never use your oven for heating.
- Maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected annually by a qualified professional.
- Turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
- Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to prevent sparks from flying into the room and burn only dry, seasoned wood. Allow ashes to cool before disposing in a tightly covered metal container, which is kept at least 10 feet away from the home and any other nearby buildings. Douse and saturate with water.
- For wood burning stoves, install chimney connectors and chimneys following manufacturer’s instructions or have a professional do the installation.
- Install and maintain carbon monoxide (CO) alarms to avoid the risk of CO poisoning.
Get the Facts
- In 2007, there were an estimated 399,000 reported home structure fires and 2,865 associated civilian deaths in the United States.
- Only one-fifth to one-fourth of households (23%) have actually developed and practiced a home fire escape plan to ensure they could escape quickly and safely.
- U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 52,500 reported U.S. home structure fires involving electrical failure or malfunction in 2006. These fires resulted in 340 civilian deaths, 1,400 civilian injuries and $1,447 million in direct property damage.
- A 2004 survey found that 96% of U.S. households had at least one smoke alarm, yet in 2000-2004, no smoke alarms were present or none operated in almost half (46%) of the reported home fires.
- The dangers of Carbon Monoxide (CO) exposure depend on a number of variables, including the victim's health and activity level. Infants, pregnant women, and people with physical conditions that limit their body's ability to use oxygen (i.e. emphysema, asthma, heart disease) can be more severely affected by lower concentrations of CO than healthy adults would be. A person can be poisoned by a small amount of CO over a longer period of time or by a large amount of CO over a shorter amount of time.
- Cooking equipment fires are the leading cause of home structure fires and associated civilian injuries. These fires accounted for 40% of all reported home structure fires in 2005 and 36% of home civilian injuries.
- Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fires during the months of December, January and February, and second to cooking home fires year-round.
- In 2002-2005, only 16% of reported lightning fires occurred in homes but these accounted for nearly all the associated civilian deaths, 90% of the associated injuries, and 58% of the direct property damage.
All information on this page (and linked subpages) has been cited from the National Fire Protection Association website. To find out more about fire prevention, please visit their website at www.nfpa.org.
