Fight Fires at Home with These Tips

by Thomas Kraeutler

If you're like most Americans, you think you're at very little risk of experiencing a fire. This attitude, however, can be almost as dangerous as fire itself. Outside of the Soviet Bloc, Americans have the highest fire death rate in the industrialized world. In fact, in 1996, fire deaths rose to their highest level since the start of the decade -- and over 80 percent of these deaths occurred in the home, according to the National Fire Prevention Association. As a professional home inspector who has been through thousands of homes, I've become a skilled observer of the obvious -- and not so obvious -- sources of household fires. When outside temperatures drop, fire risks increase. To keep your family safe, consider the following.

Healthy Heating Equipment

Faulty heating equipment (including furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves and portable heaters) is the second leading cause of fire deaths. To get your heating equipment in tip top shape:

• Service Furnace, Water Heaters And Boilers. Combustion burning appliances get dirty from use and must be professionally cleaned and serviced each year to maintain safe operation.
• Clean Fireplace Chimneys. These get dirty from combustion deposits called "creosote" that can fuel a very serious chimney fire. Before the season gets underway have the chimney cleaned and inspected by a certified chimney sweep. When using the fireplace, always burn hardwood logs; softwoods like pine or cedar can clog your chimney. Burning things like paper or branches releases burning embers that could ignite your roof. Also, make sure your fireplace is covered by a sturdy screen to keep hot embers from jumping into your living room.
• Prevent Portable Heater Problems. Every year, portable heaters cause fires that could easily have been avoided with a little common sense. Before using a heater, read and study the manufacture's instructions. Be very careful not to place the heater where it can be knocked over -- and keep it away from clothing, paper, furniture and other combustibles. When refueling, make sure you let the heater cool down completely and never "mix" or substitute fuels, like gas and kerosene. Portable heaters are designed for a single fuel and mixing can cause a serious fire.
• Practice Safe Storage - Files, clothes, boxes or anything flammable that sits too close to a heat source can become easy "kindling" for a house fire. Never store anything on top of, or near, your furnace or water heater. Also, be careful to keep things away from light bulbs, especially in closets. With flammable liquids like gasoline or paint thinner, be sure to keep them in proper containers and well away from any source of heat, including pilot lights.

 

Smart Smoke Detectors

All smoke detectors are the same, right? Wrong! Old technology smoke detectors have an ionic sensor that sets off the alarm when it "sees" fire. Newer photo electric sensors, around for the last couple of years, are more sensitive to slow, smoldering, fires. Together, these two detector technologies provide a greater degree of protection. Expect to pay about $30 for a combination photo-electric and ionic smoke detector. If your budget is tight however, don't wait until you can afford the more expensive units. Ionic sensors alone are still effective and can be purchased for about $10. An important smoke detector feature to look for is a reset or "silencer" button. This lets you shut down the detector for about 10 minutes when nuisance alarms occur, like burnt toast. Once the smoke clears, the unit goes back to full alert.

 

Effective Extinguishers

Before you buy so much as another potted plant to fill up your house, make sure it's protected by adequate fire extinguishers. Like smoke detectors, there are different types for different fires. The kitchen is the most common source of household fires so make sure it is equipped with one rated "Type B-C". This means it is effective in fighting grease, as well as electrical fires. Type B-C extinguishers are also appropriate for the garage or workshop. For the rest of the house, purchase a combination unit rated "Type A-B-C", meaning it will cover fires fueled by wood, grease or electricity. At least one extinguisher per floor is recommended.

Financial Facts About Fires*

1. In 1996, there were almost 2 million fires that caused $9.4 billion in property damage, up about 5 percent from 1995.
2. Residential fires resulted in $4.9 billion in property loss, up 13.7 percent from the previous year.
3. Fires to one and two family dwellings (as opposed to apartments) accounted for $4.1 billion in property damage, up 14 percent from the previous year.
4. In 1996, arson accounted for 85,500 fires, causing $1.4 billion in property damage.

*Source: National Fire Protection Association 1997 Report

Tom Kraeutler is a hands-on home improvement broadcast journalist and the kind of guy homeowners want to call at midnight when their basement floods. He earned his home improvement stripes as a professional home inspector, amassing over 20 years experience learning how houses are put together, and how they fall apart! Tom appears regularly on CNN, MSNBC, The History Channel, HGTV and the DIY Network. He's a columnist for House Beautiful and do! Magazine and his work has been featured in Smart Money, Reader's Digest and in hundreds of daily newspapers across the nation.