Most Fires Can Be Prevented

IRONWOOD, MI - Friday, March 13, 2009 - Ironwood Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ken Jacobson sent along the following article taken from March issue of the Michigan Fire Service News and we proudly agreed to post with hope that it may prevent even one fire.

MYTH - A lot of fires are just accidents and caused by things like shortages in electrical circuits. We can’t do anything about it.

REALITY - Most fires are caused by human action or inaction. In information compiled by the National Fire Protection Association, cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires (40 percent of reported fires). The leading cause of fires in the kitchen is unattended cooking! As far as electrical fires are concerned, overloaded outlets, misuse of extension cords and bad electrical work are all avoidable human acts. The top three causes of injury and death due to fire (smoking, cooking and heating) all have a human aspect to them. If we can change our behavior, we can lessen the chance for a fire, and save our own life!

• Do not smoke in bed or if you are drowsy from lack of sleep or medication. The safest way to smoke is to always smoke outside.

• Have sturdy, deep ashtrays and soak cigarette butts in water before emptying into the garbage.

• Check couch and chair cushions before you go to bed. A fire can smolder for hours before breaking out into blaze. This can take place long after you are asleep. The whole time this smoldering fire can be pumping out fatal poisonous gases in your home while you sleep.

• Do not leave cooking unattended. Serious fires can happen in just seconds.

• Keep a lid in your kitchen as large (or larger) than any pan you would put on a stove top. In case of a fire, simply place the lid over the pan and turn off the burner. Do not try to remove the burning pan from the stove! You can easily spread the fire and/or burn yourself.

• If something inside your microwave or oven catches fire, leave the door closed and turn off the appliance.

• Pay attention to keep dish towels, paper towels and your clothing away from hot things in your kitchen. Roll up your sleeves.

• As with any fire, leave the home and call 911.

• Keep yourself and other things that can burn at least three feet from heating sources.

• Do not operate space heaters while you are sleeping. Look for models that have an auto-off feature in case they are tipped-over.

• Make sure your fireplace has a screen large enough to catch flying embers and rolling logs. Where do you keep the things you use to start the fire? Move the newspaper, kindling, etc. if they are too close.

• Have your furnace, wood stove, fireplace and chimney inspected annually to assure they are working properly.

Former California State Fire Marshall Chief Ron Coleman said, "If you want to be prepared for something, live it once or twice in your mind." Play the "what-if" game with your personal situation. If you find that you do not like the probable outcome – make the change. If something is "predictable, it’s preventable" according to Gordon Graham, a top speaker on risk management. Predictable events cannot be accidents. There are sequences of events that take place prior to the final outcomes. Removing or changing one thing in the sequence changes the outcome.