Winter best time to stress fire safety
Please note—this article originally appeared in the February 5, 2010 edition of The Journal Gazette. Original Web site link
Michelle McCarty and Dave Meadows
Burn Awareness Week 2010 starts Monday. The St. Joseph Regional Burn Center at St. Joseph Hospital and the Fort Wayne Fire Department would like to alert you to the potential hazards associated with the winter season.
Did you know that 82 percent of all fire deaths occur in the home? Electrical fires are a special concern during the winter months with increased indoor activities and use of lighting, heating and appliances.
Nearly a third of the patients admitted to St. Joe are children. Injuries most commonly seen in this age group include scalds. Scald injuries occur from a variety of causes, including hot coffee or chocolate, grease, foods from the microwave and hot water. Adults are most often injured by hot grease or by their clothing catching on fire while cooking.
During the winter months, many people use alternative heat sources to warm their homes. These methods can include kerosene heaters, electric heaters and fireplaces. Be sure to keep the area around these types of heaters free of clutter to ensure a fire does not start. Small children are often injured by these heating methods as well.
In addition, never leave these items on while you are sleeping, or when you are not at home. The oven should never be used to heat a home. Increased carbon monoxide levels are associated with extended use of the oven. This gas is odorless, and with increased exposure, a person contracts symptoms including headache, confusion and loss of consciousness. Death can result.
Any household that is equipped with gas appliances, gas heat, and/or a fireplace should install a carbon monoxide alarm outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. If the CO alarm activates, leave the house immediately and call 911 from a safe area.
Other winter life-saving tips include: make sure wood stoves are properly installed; make sure all space heaters have an emergency shutoff in case they tip over; have your furnace and chimney professionally inspected annually; always use a screen in front of the fireplace; never thaw frozen pipes with an open flame; and dispose of fireplace ashes in covered metal containers placed away from the house.
Another important safety tip concerns the use of smoke detectors in your home. Batteries should be checked each month, and batteries should be changed yearly.
For best protection the Fort Wayne Fire Department recommends installing a smoke detector in every room of the house. For families in need, free smoke alarms are available through the fire department.
Be sure to check your home for hazards throughout the winter as well as all year long.
We hope you have a safe and happy winter!
If you have any questions regarding burn awareness and safety, please contact the St. Joseph Regional Burn Center at 425-3573, or the Fort Wayne Fire Department at 427-1483. Burns, even minor ones, can be serious.
Michelle McCarty , R.N., is the inpatient clinical coordinator for the Regional Burn Center at St. Joseph Hospital. Capt. Dave Meadows works in the safety education division of the Fort Wayne Fire Department. They wrote this for The Journal Gazette.
