NEWS IN BRIEF

NEWS IN BRIEF

Light bulb and aerosol insecticide loggers linked to fires

The Austin (TX) Fire Department has found that some foreign-made light bulbs and aerosol insecticide foggers have been responsible for a series of fires within its jurisdiction.

The first bulb-related fire occurred in June 1991. The fire originated in a desk lamp. Damage was relatively minor, since the homeowner was at home at the time of the fire. Investigation of the incident traced the cause of the fire to a Chinese-made bulb. Austin Investigations Captain Bob Parker notes that if the lamp and its switch had been damaged in the fire, it would have been assumed that there was a short in the lamp.

I pon investigation, however, it w as determined that arcing had occurred between the secondary energized contact prong of the switch and the grounded shell of the 75-watt incandescent light bulb, manufactured in China under the brand name “AIM.” The bulb was found to have a much smaller insulator between the base contact point and the outer grounded shell than American bulbs. When used w ith a three-way on/off switch, therefore, the grounded outer shell of the bulb’s base came very close to and, in some cases, touched the sw itch’s secondary energized contact prong. The arcing, it was found, could occur even when the bulb was not turned on.

These findings were confirmed by an independent testing consultant, who verified the department’s findings that the design of the imported bulb constituted a fire hazard. Several other Chinese-manufactured incandescent light bulbs (identified as “Best Value” 60-watt soft white bulbs) also were tested and were found to have the same potentially defective construction. The Austin Fire Department explained the bulb’s fire-hazard potential to the management of a local food chain whose stores carried the bulbs. The bulbs were removed from the shelves. The chain’s management also notified the Oklahoma-based distributor of the bulbs. The distributor revealed that about 35 million of these Chinese-made bulbs are coming into the United States every month.

The bulbs are being sold in various stores under different brand names. To reduce the potential for fires, investigators recommend that consumers use only three-way bulbs in threewav on/off switches.

The insecticide hazard. Since 1989, six fires in Austin have been attributed to the improper use of aerosol insecticide foggers. In these cases, clouds of flammable propellants ignited after contacting a heat source, such as a gas pilot light. Two people were injured in the fires, and property loss was more than $53,000.

Consumers must be reminded to follow manufacturers’ recommendations w ith regard to the number of foggers to be used in an area and to eliminate all possible sources of ignition, urges Captain Parker.

AFSA guide available

The American Fire Sprinkler Association’s “1992 Buyers’ Guide” is now available. The 24-page, indexed guide may be ordered from AFSA, 11325 Pegasus, Suite 220, Dallas, TX 75238, (214) 349-5965. Cost is S7.

Emergency public information program

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to Director Wallace Stickney, is now offering the “most comprehensive library of emergency public information ever produced by the agency.” The library, a package of video, radio, and print materials, provides step-by-step instructions for citizens affected by hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, and other disasters.

The package, distributed to more than 3,000 state and local emergency program directors and 6,000 media outlets nationwide, was produced by FEMA in conjunction with state and local governments and private organizations. Its objective is to curb the rising tolls of life and property losses resulting from disasters.

Stickney stresses that life-saving information must be available to the public, since emergency responders “can’t be everywhere, helping everyone at once.” The information in the library is designed to supplement information provided by local governments and disaster relief organizations. Among the topics covered are how to prepare for a hurricane evacuation, where to take shelter in a tornado, how to purify water, and how to respond during a flood.

In addition to FEMA. the following organizations participated in the library program: the National Coordinating Council on Emergency Management, the National Emergency Management Association, the American Red Cross, the National Association of Broadcasters, the National Weather Service, the American Meteorological Society, and the Weather Channel. Videos and radio announcements feature Grant Peterson, associate director for state and local programs and support and overseer of FEMA’s emergency public information program, and Boh Vila, home repair show personality.

Additional information on the library is available from Anthony Venti, FEMA, Office of Public Affairs, Washington. I)C 20472, (202) 646-4600.

NFSA offers NFPA 25 inspection forms

Inspection forms that cover all mandatory inspection, testing, and maintenance requirements for water storage tanks and fire pumps as stipulated in National Fire Protection Association 25, Standard for Testing, Inspection, and Maintenance of WaterBased Fire Protection Systems (1992), will be available from the National Fire Sprinkler Association, Inc. (NFSA) at the end of the year.

A set of forms covers 15 inspections. Each form provides four copies (building owner, tenant, local authority having jurisdiction, and insurance authority). The Water Storage Tank form set is S10 for NFSA numbers, S15 for nonmembers; the Fire Pump Form set is S15 for members, S 20 nonmembers; there is a $5 shipping/ handling fee. Send orders to the National Fire Sprinkler Association Publication Department, P.O. Box 1000, Patterson, NY 12563, (914) 8784200, lax: (914) 878-4215.

NFPA issues winter safety tips

About a third of U S. home fires and the deaths related to them occur during the months of December, January’, and February, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Home heating equipment caused 84,600 fires, 619 civilian (nonfirefighter) deaths, and 2,078 civilian injuries in 1990, the latest year for which statistics are available.

Since human error is the cause of most home heating fires, the NFPA stresses that the public be reminded to follow codes, standards, and manufacturer safety recommendations with regard to heating devices and to take precautions such as having chimneys and connectors cleaned regularly and keeping items and materials that can burn away from space and portable heaters. Heating equipment also poses the threats of carbon monoxide poisoning and thermal contact burns. According to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission statistics, the NFPA says, an average of 221 nonfire heating equipment deaths result each year from carbon monoxide poisoning, primarily involving gas-fueled heating equipment. Portable kerosene heaters and wood or coal stoves present a high risk for thermal contact burns.

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Fort Lauderdale (FL) Firefighters Save Dogs From House Fire, Department Says

Firefighters pulled four dogs from a smoldering Fort Lauderdale home that was in flames just minutes earlier Thursday morning, according to the department.
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