Why Can We Not Condition Ourselves For Fire Safety?

It is slightly sleeting outside and the weather reports are that we may have a dusting a snow. County trucks are out hitting the highways with the de-icing muck that dirties our cars. Milk & Bread across the South is flying off the shelves quicker than Anton Ono can skate.  I wonder how many people will crank up their space heaters or kerosene heaters? Which ones tested their generators this afternoon to ensure they will work if the power goes out? Who pulled out the lighter & candles to prepare for an impending power outage?

When our weather forecasters mention an inkling of winter precipitation, the entire south will be dragging themselves to the store to buy the last of the milk & bread. Even if they do not eat/drink the milk/bread it is bought… It is the thing to do!!!!

Football season brings forth the chip & dip nights. So much so in my family that my 3 year old thinks when football is on the TV he has to eat chips & dip. Some folks do the huge ole football parties every year.. It is the thing to do!!!!

The Social Media Sites are addictive to many. Most will check their facebook multiple times a day. Many will tweet as much as possible. It is the new phenom…. (I know I love it)

Sooo…. We buy milk & bread, we have football parties, & we are tweeting/facebooking with the world.

But why can we not remember to test our smoke alarms once a month?

Better yet, why are there still some homes without smoke alarms in them at all?

Why can we not condition ourselves for Fire Safety?

In South Carolina for 2009, 79 Fire Deaths were reported. 2009 SC Preliminary Fire Death Data

The report in the link above breaks down each of the 79 deaths. If you read the report you see cooking, smoking, heating, & electrical listed many times.

So let’s break it down hypothetically:

Cooking – Unattended? Careless?

Smoking – Careless? In bed? With oxygen (1 of the fire deaths was listed as smoking with oxygen tank)

Heating – Kerosene? Space heaters? Close to combustibles? Filling while hot? Careless?

Without reading each report specifically, I am unable to tell the exact reasons but I am sure some of them were due to the points I have made.

Out of the 79 reported Fire Deaths in SC, 13 of the homes were without a smoke alarm. 17 fires it was undetermined if there was a smoke alarm present.

We are remembering the milk & bread, booking the football parties, & tweeting all day. However, there is very little if any thought given to making sure we can do these tasks over & over again because we are not thinking Fire Safety.

The assumption is “it will not happen to me”.

It can if you do not think Fire Safety!

Fire & Life Safety Educators of Colorado 2010 Conference

I will be speaking at the Fire & Life Safety Educators of Colorado 2010 Conference.  Below is the link to the brochure. I am extremely honored as well as excited to be included.

FLSE Conference Registration Brochure

Please check out the brochure….

Take the time to help others Live Fire Safe!

Through January 5, 2010, 38 residential fire fatalities (non-arson) have been recorded!

(via US Fire Administration – http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/subjects/fireprev/qr/fatalities/index.shtm )

38 in 5 days.  This is a sad start to the New Year…  In 2008, 3,320 civilians lost their lives in the USA as the result of fire & there were 16,705 civilian injuries in the USA that occurred as the result of fire.

Why have we had so many deaths so far for 2010?

Here are just a few Summaries:

3 in Upstate, SC – No working smoke alarms in home. Residents were using space heaters and the stove for heat. (This one not far from where I live)

3 in Detroit, MI – No working smoke alarms in home. Either a space heater or careless smoking is cause of fire.

1 in Indianapolis, IN -  Careless Smoking (Resident was smoking while in bed & was disabled. When the fire broke out he could not evacuate & due to heavy smoke he could not be rescued by others in home)

2 in Lansing, MI – 2 boys ages 2 & 5 died after a fire started in their bedroom. Fire Department was called @ 3:30 in the afternoon to respond. Fire was contained in the boys bedroom. Mother is serving in Iraq.

I have listed 9 of the stated 38. I could go on & list each of the 38 deaths but it will not change my message. Looking at what has been listed above it is clear to me that most if not ALL of the deaths above could have been prevented.

As I have mentioned in the past, Fire Prevention/Safety is not the 1st thought in many peoples minds. But common sense tells one not to smoke in bed. Fire departments are consistently telling how important smoke alarms are.  And although the cause has not been stated in regards to the 2 young boys, I fear they were playing with matches/lighter for the fire to start in the bedroom and be contained in only that room. So we all know  to keep such items out of the hands of children. (I am NOT blaming the dad in the deaths of his kids, I am only merely stating my opinion/thoughts about the fire & what we have ALL been taught from a young age about keeping lighters & matches out of reach of children)

I was once in a defensive driving class (much to my chagrin) and the instructor made a profound statement. “ALL Vehicle Accidents ARE Preventable.” I thought this was absurd and I challenged him. With every scenario I mentioned he had a comeback for it.  Many of his comebacks, I did not 100% agree with but giving him the benefit of the doubt, he made valid points. Drive slower, don’t pound the gas as soon as the light turns green, anticipate intersections with stop signs, look ahead, look behind, yadda yadda yadda….  I had to resign myself to the fact that he MAY be a bit right although there was no way in hell at that time I was going to admit it to him.

So here is my profound statement: ALL Fire Deaths Are Preventable! no wait, Fire Deaths Are Preventable! no wait, Most ALL Fire Deaths Are Preventable! There…

By using common sense and putting in action fire prevention techniques, I seriously feel we can conquer fires &  more importantly fire deaths.

The issue with the last sentence above is getting the word out there as to what common sense is and what can a person do to effectively activate fire prevention techniques.

Fire Marshal’s & Prevention personnel are out and about enforcing the Building & Fire Codes for the public’s protection AND teaching Fire Prevention to anyone/everyone who will listen. But there is responsibility for each of us to keep ourselves as well as our families fire safe.

Even if YOU know how to stay Fire Safe do not assume that your neighbor, friend, family member(s) do. Please take the time to spread your knowledge with others. Ask your neighbors, friends, family members if they have working smoke alarms in their homes. Remind them to test them monthly. Help them develop, implement, & practice emergency escape drills. Discuss safe practices when heating with space and/or kerosene heaters. The list goes on & on… share your wealth of knowledge.

Take the time to help others live Fire Safe!

Violations come looking for me! I swear!

I find myself in a bit of a pickle when out shopping or just taking in the sights….

As a Fire Marshal, when out and about, I find myself looking around and noticing things that are Fire Code Violations.. most of the time I just shudder and move on, however there are times depending on the severity of the violation, I will either approach the person in charge OR contact the local fire marshal to handle.

I often wonder if police officers call local PD’s if they see a speeder? or someone who does not use their turn signal? I doubt it. They do go after people who are robbing someone or who may be breaking into a car but as for the other small things.. I think not..

That is why when I see an exit sign or emergency light out I usually do not say anything.

BUT…. If I see an exit door locked or severely blocked… then I say something.  Depending on where I am, I may say something to the person in charge. Many times they are receptive to my request to correct. If I feel the person may not be receptive and/or I am in a particular Fire Marshal’s territory whom may not like me being the one to say something, then I will contact the local FM. (Yes, there are territorial Fire Marshal’s out there and I am not saying it is a bad thing just difficult at times)

My job as a Fire Marshal does not allow me to enforce the code everywhere I go. I am only allowed to enforce within my jurisdictions. Such as a police officer is to enforce in their own jurisdiction.

However, there is a bit of professional courtesy amongst Fire Marshals when one of them witnesses a violation outside their normal areas. We call upon each other to help one another out. Not only that but I am constantly calling upon other FM’s to help me with translating codes and/or finding the right code(s) to fit my found violation(s).

FM’s are not a secret society however we all have one common goal and that is to prevent fires/emergencies from occurring.

I never thought in my many years before my involvement with the Fire Service that I would be out here trying to prevent fires. Even then, when I joined the Fire Service, I never expected Fire Prevention to become such a passion of mine.

But here I am…. My screen name being Tina Fights Fire is me fighting fire by trying to prevent them….. I love what I do!

3 dead, Using stove for heat, NO SMOKE ALARMS…..

Mother, Father, & Daughter Die in House Fire……

http://www2.wspa.com/spa/news/local/article/three_dead_after_honea_path_house_fire/31504/

3 dead, using stove for heat, NO SMOKE ALARMS…..

Can society still be THAT negligent?  The cost of a dinner for 4 at a restaurant such as Applebees can outfit a home with Smoke Alarms. Better yet many Fire Departments will give Smoke Alarms for FREE. How can you pass up FREE?

It is even more so of a tragedy to lose 3 members of a family due to lack of education.

With this said, let me explain.

Fire Prevention is not the first thought of most people unless you are in the Fire Service. Many do not think Fire Prevention is a necessity in our schools or educational programing.

In my area, schools do not look favorably on a Fire Prevention program for students past 3rd or 4th grade. And most times only during Fire Prevention week are the fire departments allowed in the schools to teach students the importance of Fire Safety/Prevention.

There are many success stories out there where a young student has gone home and actually put in to play what they learned from the Fire Prevention Program given at their school.

Sadly though there are more stories of tragedy, such as the one above, where a simple smoke alarm would have saved a life or lives.

News organizations are focused on the NOW or the PAST…. When a fire death occurs every local news station will report the tragedy, ponder the cause(s), & provide tips to prevent it from happening in your home.  However, the next day the story is no longer the lead and no thought given to push being proactive vs reactive in regards to Fire Prevention.

Now I am not saying that ALL news stations do this… nor am I saying that ALL schools refuse Fire Prevention programs after 3rd/4th grades…. These instances are in my area… I would love to know what others experience in their areas…

Importance needs to be in keeping Fire Safety in the for thought of people. Installing Smoke Alarms, testing them monthly, practicing fire drills…………….

I set my goal to educate the public even if I can only reach one at a time, I will try my best to get the word out there.

~ Happy Thanksgiving ~

What a day to start my blogging venture.
Thanksgiving Day!
I have seen many “I am Thankful for:” posts, tweets, emails, etc….
Why should I be any different?
Just Cause!

It was around this time in 2001 that my husband (many know him as Nemo) was getting heavily involved in running fire calls. The tragic events of September 11th, 2001 lead him to join the local volunteer fire department to do his part in giving back to our community during such a horrific time in our nation. Although, he had not begun his actual firefighting training, he was given permission to carry a pager and run calls. Nemo was like a kid in a candy shop. Excited to hear the pager go off and dash out the door to see what emergency lay in waiting.  He was at that time only able to help pull hose and the dreaded cleaning of the said hose after that adrenaline rushing fire call.

As he would hit the door of the house after every call, I found myself asking all the questions that a nosy neighbor would ask as if the fire truck/ambulance was in the yard. Nemo kept telling me to join and I kept responding, I will give money & MAYBE help the Auxiliary some (He knew I would NOT do that – LOL) but yall can keep that up and running all over the place in the middle of the night shit to yourselves.

By mid December 2001, I had visited the volunteer fire department and signed the papers to join. Call me a sucker…. call me crazy… I was 33 years old (Yes, that makes me 41 now) & I had just joined a fire department to become a Firefighter… A WHAT?? (that was what my mom cried at me!) – I too had thought I had lost my mind, until………..

January 2002, Nemo & I began the journey that has led us to where we are today. We took OSHA Firefighter, Firefighter I & II, Hazmat, and many other classes together. We fought fire together, worked accident scenes together, helped each other through many classes. I decided I would try the tail board firefighter route and actually applied/tested for the City FD open positions. It was after passing the civil servant test as well as the physical test (on a side note, I was so pleased that at the age of 33 and a confirmed couch potato, to get up and pass a firefighter physical test was a HUGE accomplishment for me!) that I was approached & asked to join the Fire Marshal’s office. I took the hours I was more accustomed too. The 8 to 5, Monday thru Friday (altho it never was just 8 to 5, Mon-Fri)…. it was the best decision I could have ever made.  8 years later I have turned my “job” into my passion and I have never looked back.  Now as a State Employee, I still love what I do and continue to pass on my knowledge to all those who will listen, read, give me the time of day.

I thank my lucky stars not only for having a loving, smart, exceptional husband, but also for his enthusiasm in giving back 8 years ago and for convincing me to do what I have come to love.

Yes, I am thankful and I just shared 1 of many reasons why!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!