A message from the president of the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM):
The year 2012 seems to have been plagued with tragic events, from Colorado to Connecticut to New York, including storms across the country. There also were many needless deaths from fire – an alarming 70 lives were lost to fire in just the week of Christmas across our nation. We can and need to do more on all of these tragedies to prevent the injuries and loss of life. Let’s make–and keep — some resolutions for 2013 to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our homes from fire.
There are a few simple things you can do to protect your household from becoming part of the tragic fire loss tally. Resolve that you will have a working smoke alarm on each level of your home and that you will know what to do when the alarm sounds. Resolve to develop an escape plan and practice it. Young children and the elderly are our most vulnerable population, and by educating them you can increase their chances of surviving if a fire occurs. If your smoke alarm was installed before January 1, 2003, resolve to replace it; smoke alarms have a life expectancy of up to 10 years. If possible, replace your old smoke alarm with one that has a long-life battery sealed in the alarm to discourage tampering.
If you are considering building a new home or renovating an existing home, resolve to tell your contractor that you want residential fire sprinklers installed. Sprinklers are the most effective way of protecting your family from fire because they will allow you the time needed to escape. Sprinklers are like having a firefighter with a hose line on duty in your home 24 hours a day and 365 days a year! This past week one adult and a child were lost in a fire in the Town of New Ipswich, New Hampshire, where the fire originated in the garage and spread quickly into the home. The week before, in neighboring Peterborough, New Hampshire, a garage fire was met with a residential fire sprinkler system; one sprinkler head contained the fire to the hallway from the garage, allowing the family to escape and the fire department time to extinguish the garage fire. The home in New Ipswich was a total loss, with the loss of two lives and injuries to 5 others. The Peterborough fire was contained to the garage, with the family moving back in the same day as the fire. Sprinklers save lives.
Resolve to keep fires from starting in the first place so that smoke alarms and sprinklers don’t have to be activated. Resolve never to leave cooking or burning candles unattended. Resolve to fully extinguish smoking materials. Resolve never to overload extension cords.
The severity of home fires has changed in recent years. The changes come in part from what goes into a modern home, including the highly combustible furniture, electronics with flammable plastic housing, and children’s plastic toys. Changes in the way homes are constructed also play a role: larger open living areas, lightweight engineered lumber frames and flammable finishing materials contribute to the more rapid spread of fire in homes. We are constructing homes with more flammable materials, and then filling them with more combustible contents and open space than ever before. Resolve that you will write to your congressional delegation in 2013 and ask them to strengthen the fire safety requirements for consumer and building products. Resolve to work with your local legislators to strengthen your building and fire codes, including a requirement for residential fire sprinklers in all new construction.
Eighty percent of fires are preventable, and eighty percent of all fire deaths occur in the home. Think about the many ways you can protect your family, and resolve to make smart choices about behavior to prevent fires from starting. Think about what you would do if a fire were to occur, and resolve to practice an escape plan. Think about using smoke alarms and sprinklers to give yourselves and your loved ones more time to escape should a fire occur, and resolve to invest in these life-saving technologies. And then carry out all of your New Year’s resolutions! We all must do our part to prevent and save lives from fire. Remember that Fire Is Everyone’s Fight™ – and it is a battle that we can win, individually and together!
Best wishes for a safe, healthy and Happy New Year!
J. William (Bill) Degnan, New Hampshire State Fire Marshal
President, National Association of State Fire Marshals
The mission of the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) is to protect life, property and the environment from fire and related hazards. NASFM’s members include the senior fire officials in the United States and their top deputies. Learn more about NASFM and its programs at www.firemarshals.org.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has launched Fire is Everyone’s Fight™, designed to unite the fire and life safety individuals and organizations in a collaborative effort to reduce home fire injuries, deaths and property loss. It invites fire departments, safety advocates, community groups, schools and others to rally behind a common and compelling theme. USFA and its partners will communicate and reinforce key lessons across many proven fire safety and prevention initiatives and programs.
For more information, visit the campaign’s Web site at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fireservice/prevention_education/strategies/fire_is_everyones_fight/.
