Start New Year with Resolution to Practice Fire Safety
Monday, January 05, 2009 | 10:30am
NASHVILLE-The standby new year’s resolutions are well-worn and familiar: quit smoking, lose weight, travel, meet that special someone. The State Fire Marshal’s office wants Tennesseans to add practicing fire safety to that list – and wants them to stick with it.
“January marks a great time for Tennesseans to get serious about making fire-safety practices a part of their lives,” says State Fire Marshal and Department of Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Leslie A. Newman. “It’s the time of year that people take inventory and make changes in their habits – those changes should include home fire safety. It’s also the time of year that people face a greater threat of house fires because of the use of alternate sources of heat in their homes.”
Here are some tips Tennesseans can use to practice fire safety in their homes:
- Have working smoke alarms in every room where people sleep and outside the door of every such room. Conduct monthly smoke alarm tests and change alarm batteries twice a year. The beginning and end of daylight saving time are ideal times. Ten-year batteries for alarms are also a good idea.
- Plug electrical appliances into UL-rated surge protectors and turn them off at night if they do not need to operate all night long. Do not leave your dryer running when you are not at home.
- Store a properly maintained fire extinguisher in the kitchen and near your water heater. Extinguishers should only be used for very small fires. When a fire occurs, it’s usually best to immediately leave the house and call the fire department from a neighbor’s home.
- A bedtime fire safety check should be part of your nightly routine. Just like schools practice fire drills, you should have a home escape plan and safe meeting place. When you move to a new home, your local fire department should be made aware of any occupants’ special needs.
- Do not use stoves as heaters. Be careful when using space heaters, so that flammable items are not close to heat sources (leave at least three feet of space). Have fireplaces checked to ensure they will operate safely.
- Never smoke in bed or in a setting where you might fall asleep with a lit cigarette. Make sure ashes and butts are fully extinguished before disposing of them.
- Holiday lights, trees and candles can cause fires. Use only nonflammable decorations, including artificial trees, and place them away from heat sources. Keep cut Christmas trees well hydrated, to reduce risk of fires. Inspect electric decorations for frayed wires and other hazards. Do not link more than three strands of lights. Do not leave holiday lights on unattended; turn them off before going to bed. Never put lit candles on a tree. Do not overload electrical outlets.
- Never leave a stove turned on unattended; monitor flammable items. Don’t wear loose-sleeved clothes at a stove; turn pot handles away from the stove’s front.
- Consider flammability ratings, when buying bedding and furniture.
“We know effective fire prevention education helps lower the number of fire-related deaths,” says Newman. “Schools and other community groups should include fire safety in their education activities and may contact local fire departments for instructional help.”
The State Fire Marshal’s Office also has a free “Safe at Home” CD-Rom and training manual that can be presented to children, and a similar program that can be presented to adults. Call 615-741-2981 or e-mail fire.prevention@state.tn.us.
For information on winter-weather fire hazards in the home, visit www.TN.gov and click on "Fire Hazards Lurk in the Home."
The Department of Commerce and Insurance works to protect consumers while ensuring fair competition for industries and professionals who do business in Tennessee.