Ramsey Resident - 2002 - May/June

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Have you checked your smoke detector this year? If not, you should. According to the United States Fire Administration, of all the fire fatalities within the country, the majority of them occur in the home. That means the place that we believe is the safest becomes the most vulnerable during a fire. Because most fires occur at night (when we are sleeping) it is very important to make sure that our early warning device (smoke detector) is working well. A fire may be silent, producing toxic smoke throughout the home while we are sleeping. If our smoke detector is not working, it will eventually cloud down to the floor and if you wake up, it may be to late. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for the Fire Department to respond to a residential house fire and hear no alarm sounding. This may be from a lack of maintenance, or the fact that a battery was needed to operate a remote control car. Most new homes have their smoke detectors hard wired into the electrical system. With this, you get constant power and the smoke detectors interact with one another. So if there is a fire in any room of the home, ALL the alarms throughout the home sound, giving you plenty of time to get up and out quickly. Did you know that even though you have electrical power to the alarms that they also require a battery? Yes, if the power goes out (such as a during a storm) and you are still sleeping, the detector still needs power to work. Check your detectors regularly; replace the batteries if they need them or not whenever day light saving occurs. Plan an escape route and meeting place with your family. Smoke detectors save lives! That is why they are required to be in every hallway leading to a bedroom and in all bedrooms today. If you do not have a smoke detector in your home and cannot currently afford one, contact the Fire Department. SMOKE DETECTOR NEWS SUMMER Fim HAZARDS 7 The season change brings out several fire hazards that we should be aware of. Some of the simplest things can eliminate a fire from occurring in your home or neighborhood. Here are a few things that have caused fires in homes in Ramsey in the past. Because they have occurred in more than one home, it may be an issue that many homes are dealing with. 1) After staining your deck, trim and doors, lay the stain soaked rags out to dry before throwing them into the garbage. Do not clump them together or throw them into the garbage can wet. READ THE WARNING LABEL on the cans! Stained rags can spontaneously combust causing a fire. 2) Take items off and around your stove. Cooking is the number one cause of residential fires. Do not leave when you are cooking and keep children away. 3) Remove the front of your dryer and clean out all the lint. Lint ignites very easily and will start a fire if it accumulates around the burner. We have had several fires in Ramsey caused by this. If you are seeing lint dust around your laundry room, you may have a plugged vent. 4) Secure all matches, lighters, etc from your home. Summer is the perfect time for curious children to venture out and set fires. If you have caught your child starting fires, now is the time to get help from the Fire Department. We have programs to assist with this issue. 5) Being able to have a bon fire in the backyard is a privilege. Be sure that the fire is always attended and that you have a means of extinguishing it should it get out of control. The fire should be COMPLETELY out before you leave it. You can be held responsible for fires that rage out of control due to your bon fire. Be sure that children are supervised around fires as well, and only burn clean dry wood. Permits are available for any fire larger then 3 X 3 in diameter. 6) Should your house be hit by lightening, call the fire department via 911. Lightening gives off intense heat that can start a fire. We have had fires within the city where the owners were sitting inside and did not even know there was a fire in the roof above them. Let us come and check it out for you. 7) Candles are a great fire potential. Place them away from combustibles and children and make sure they are out before you leave the residence or go to sleep. These are a few of the things that have been common in the past summer. There are many areas you can improve on to reduce your risk of a fire in your home or business. Be conscious of what you are doing and think fire safety. The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.