The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Fire Prevention Weeks 2003 focuses on one of the most critical components of home fire escape planning because a home fire can grow and spread so rapidly, it is crucial to move quickly in a fire emergency. Knowing how and where to go are essential to survival, and every household needs working smoke alarms and a well rehearsed escape plan to give them extra time to get out safely. Eight of 10 fire deaths take place in the home and almost half of those deaths result from fires that occurred between 11 pm and 6 am when most people are sleeping. Ask yourself a few simple questions like whether the home is equipped with working alarms, are there two ways out of the sleeping area. Not knowing what to do when you are awakened late at night by a fire in your home could cost you your life. The keys to survival are early warning and quick action. Installing working smoke alarms on every level of your home to alert you if the fire strikes, and develop and practicing a home fire drill, so you'll be prepared in an emergency. Taking these simple steps today can save your life if your home catches fire. Unfortunately, too few people realize how quick and how deadly a home fire can be in the home setting, you only have moments to survive a fire, so every second counts. Many people are surprised to learn that smoke is likely to put them into a deeper sleep rather than waking them. Smoke alarms provide extra time to follow the fire escape plan, increasing the chances of survival. If people realized how little time they really have to get out of a fire, they would take the simple steps to protect themselves now. Nearly two of the three home-heating fires and five of the six associated deaths involve devices other than central furnaces or water heaters. That's because the hot surfaces of furnaces and water heaters tend to be farther away from people and things that can burnÐand because space heaters create more opportunities for human error. The most common problems leading to fires are failing to clean devices, placing them too close to combustible items, flaws in construction or design, and improper fueling. Room gas heaters, portable kerosene heaters and portable electric heaters have the greatest risk of death. Wood stoves or fireplaces with inserts have the greatest risk of property damage from fire.
