Ways to prevent home fires

  • Published
  • By Mr. Grant Smith
  • 354th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The Theme for this year's Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 5 to 11, is "Prevent Home Fires".

Although the total fire count for the nation had a decrease by 5.2 percent the total count for structure fires increased by 1.2 percent 414,000 fires or 78 percent of all structure fires occurred in residential properties.

What do these fire frequencies above mean? A fire occurs in a structure at the rate of one every 59 seconds, and, in particular, a residential fire occurs every 76 seconds. Civilian fire deaths in the home increase by 11 percent or 2,865 deaths in the home in 2007.

Luckily, Eielson only had four structure fires in 2007 and no deaths. With home fires still accounting for 2,865 fire deaths, or 84 percent of all civilian deaths, fire-safety initiatives targeted at the home remain the key to any reductions in the overall fire death toll and fire loss.

One of the most important things we can do to prevent injury or loss of life during a fire is ensuring smoke detectors are installed in all sleeping areas and they are functional. Change batteries two times a year. Have and practice an escape plan.

Here are some major steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of fire:

First, never leave cooking unattended, cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Nearly all cooking equipment fires start with the ignition of food, other cooking materials. In the event you do have a cooking fire never try to move a burning pan. Always keep a lid for cooking pans near by to smother the fire and ensure you have a functional fire extinguisher near by and know how to use it.

Second, never leave candles burning unattended, during 2005, an estimated 15,600 home structure fires started by candles were reported to local fire departments.

Third, electrical safety in the home. Never overload outlets. Use appropriate size light bulbs in fixtures, if an electrical appliances power cord is worn or frayed have it repaired or replace the appliance. Never use extension cords in place of a wall outlet and never run extension cords under carpet, through walls, doors or windows.