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Fire Protection for your home . . . from Farm Bureau General Insurance Company of Michigan In 1993, 470,000 residential fires occurred in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Association, resulting in 3720 fatalities and 22,600 injuries. Left unchecked, a fire can double in size every 30 seconds. A wastebasket fire can consume a room in less than five minutes. An entire house can be destroyed in the time it takes to read this brochure. How to Install Smoke Detectors Smoke detectors, whether powered by batteries or wall current, will provide inexpensive yet invaluable protection. According to the National Fire Protection Association, installing just one smoke detector in your home will cut in half your risk of dying should a fire occur. Prevent Fire The most common cause of fatal home fires is smoking, and in most cases, the smoker has been drinking. Don't smoke and drink in bed. Nearly a third of all home fires start in the kitchen. Keep butter or shortening away from hot burners and open flames. Pour grease into a sealable container as soon as you can. Don't use cleaning solutions or sprays around hot burners. Let them cool first. Keep an A:B:C fire extinguisher handy, but store it away from the stove. This type of extinguisher is effective for paper, grease, and electrical fires. If grease or oil ignites in a pan, call the fire department, then try to slide a lid over it and use the extinguisher. To operate an extinguisher, think PASS: Pull the pin, Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire, Squeeze the handle and Sweep the spray from side to side. Never put water on a grease fire. Water spreads the fire and can make hot grease spatter, resulting in severe burns. Remove grease spatter from stovetop, exhaust fan, and other surfaces. Never put clothes in the dryer if they have combustible cleansing agents, such as gasoline, kerosene, or turpentine, on them. Although you may not be able to see it, every dryer contains either a live flame or a red-hot heating element. Flue pipes are another major cause of fire. Make sure they are at least 18 inches from any combustibles. Check chimneys for loose or cracked bricks. Some older chimneys have steel linings, which should be replaced every few years. Creosote (a tarlike substance) builds up in a chimney and can burn with intense heat. Hire a chimney sweep to inspect and clean your chimney at least once a year. If you think your chimney is on fire, call the fire department. Spray up the chimney with an A:B:C extinguisher, and then close the draft or flue. Wood stoves need a separate flue and must be kept at least 36 inches from walls, ceilings, or combustibles. Never use gasoline as a fire starter. It can explode and set the whole room ablaze. Fireplaces need spark screens. Unless you have a spark arrester over the top of your chimney, use paper only sparingly to start fires. A sheet of burning paper can go up a chimney and land on the roof. Burn only seasoned wood. Green wood builds up creosote as it burns. Don't force too-large logs into a stove or fireplace, and don't store wood and other combustibles nearby. Never burn trash or gift wrappings in the fireplace because paper produces sudden heat that can crack a fire liner and a long flame that can ignite accumulated soot. Put ashes in a fireproof container with a lid until they are cold (usually two or more days). To avoid electrical fires Most electrical fires aren't the result of bad wiring, but rather the overloading or misuse of wiring. Modern gadgets often need more power or outlets than older houses or apartments were wired for. Two, three, even a half-dozen appliances may be going at once. Overloaded wiring is a major cause of fire. Most of us have microwave ovens, VCRs, automatic coffeemakers, and other devices that can strain the wiring in even a fairly new house. A problem may be developing in your house if circuit breakers continually break or fuses keep blowing. Slow-heating appliances, dimming lights, a shrinking TV picture, and discolored wiring are other danger signals that the electrical system is overloaded. If you suspect you are overtaxing your wiring, don't simply install a heavier circuit breaker or substitute a penny behind a blown fuse. This can force the wires inside your walls to heat up like toaster coals. Call a licensed electrician. If a light switch or receptacle plate feels warm or smells like hotel plastic, or if lights flicker, shut off your power and call your fire department immediately. Never overload an outlet with a rat's nest of cords. Avoid hanging cords over nails or passing them behind radiators, under rugs or through doorjambs. A nail could rub the insulation off, and a damaged cord is a fire waiting to start. Make sure your TVs, radios, stereos, and other appliances have space around them for air circulation so they don't overheat themselves or nearby furniture. Don't block cooling vents. If you have too many appliance for the capacity of your wiring, unplug some of them or add more circuits or outlets. Unplug appliances that are not in use. Replace frayed cords and faulty plugs. Be careful using appliances near water. Install ground-fault circuit interrupters on kitchen, bathroom, and laundry-room circuits. Don't coil a long cord. coils create an electrical resistance that generates heat. Avoid overusing multi-lugs or powerblocks ( a set of outlets commonly used with computers and electronic equipment) to make sure you don't overload circuits. Use an A:B:C extinguisher - not water - to put out an electrical fire. See that outdoor electrical equipment and outlets have weatherproof cords and coverings. Buy fire extinguishers. For less than $20, you can get an extinguisher the size of a soft-drink bottle with an all-purpose chemical for small fires. Storage safety Basements, attics and garages fill up with unused items that waste space and may be fire hazards. Clean up clutter. Never store gasoline in a house or closed space because fumes will build up. Store motor fuels in an approved plastic or metal container, not glass. Glass doesn't release fumes safely and is easily broken. Don't use gasoline as a solvent. Get rid of oily rags or put them in a bucket with a lid. Some solvents, such as linseed oil, spontaneously combust. Be careful with gas grills and their tanks. Soap the fittings to make sure they don't leak before you start them. Don't overfill the tanks. Keep them upright; propane gas is heavier than air and will run out a vent. Don't use a grill indoors. Plan Your Family's Escape The seconds you spend deciding how to get out of your burning house could be the difference between life and death. Here's what you can do to help your family survive a fire. Draw a floor plan of your home, including exterior landmarks such as trees and the driveway. Review the plan with all family members, especially young children. Check that each exit door is unobstructed and that hallways are not cluttered. Make sure windows and window screens operate easily. Mark a designated meeting place outside the house so everyone can be accounted for. Stay out, once you're out. Never go back inside for any reason. Designate someone to call the fire department from a neighbor's house. Teach children they can't hide from a fire. They must escape from it and go to the designated meeting place. Hold a surprise drill every six months, varying the location of the "fire." Change your escape plan as children grow. A window that was inoperable to a child six months ago may now be a usable secondary exit. Back to Protection for Your Home |
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