Fire Prevention Week is October 4-10

Home fires

• Half of home fire deaths result from fires reported between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are asleep. Only one in five home fires were reported during these hours.
• One quarter of home fire deaths were caused by fires that started in the bedroom. Another quarter resulted from fires in the living room, family room or den.
• Three out of five home fire deaths happen from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
• In 2013, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 369,500 home structure fires. These fires caused 2,755 deaths, 12,200 civilian injuries, and $7.0 billion in direct damage
• Home fires killed an average of eight people every day in 2013.
• Cooking equipment is the leading cause of home fire injuries, followed by heating equipment.
• Smoking materials are the leading cause of home fire deaths.
• Most fatal fires kill only one or two people. In 2013, 12 home fires killed five or more people resulting in a total of 67 deaths.
• During 2007-2011, roughly one of every 320 households had a reported home fire per year.

Smoke Alarms

• Three out of five home fire deaths in 2007-2011 were caused by fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
• Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in reported home fires in half.
• In fires considered large enough to activate the smoke alarm, hardwired alarms operated 93% of the time, while battery powered alarms operated only 79% of the time.
• When smoke alarms fail to operate, it is usually because batteries are missing, disconnected, or dead.
• An ionization smoke alarm is generally more responsive to flaming fires and a photoelectric smoke alarm is generally more responsive to smoldering fires. For the best protection, or where extra time is needed, to awaken or assist others, both types of alarms, or combination ionization and photoelectric alarms are recommended. 

Escape Planning

• According to an NFPA survey, only one-third of Americans have both developed and practiced a home fire escape plan.
• Almost three-quarters of Americans do have an escape plan; however, more than half never practiced it.
• One-third (32%) of survey respondents who made an estimate thought they would have at least 6 minutes before a fire in their home would become life threatening. The time available is often less. Only 8% said their first thought on hearing a smoke alarm would be to get out!

Cooking

• U.S. Fire Departments responded to an estimated annual average of 156,600 cooking-related fires between 2007-2011, resulting in 400 civilian deaths, 5,080 civilian injuries and $853 million in direct damage.
• Two of every five home fires started in the kitchen.
• Unattended cooking was a factor in one-third of reported home cooking fires.
• Two-thirds of home cooking fires started with ignition of food or other cooking materials.
• Ranges accounted for almost three of every five (57%) of home cooking fire incidents. Ovens accounted for 16%.
• Children under five face a higher risk of non-fire burns associated with cooking and hot food and drinks than of being hurt in a cooking fire.
• Microwave ovens are one of the leading home products associated with scald burns. According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, two out of five of the microwave oven injuries seen at emergency rooms in 2012 were scald burns.
• Clothing was the item first ignited in less than 1% of home cooking fires, but these incidents accounted for 15% of the cooking fire deaths.
• Fifty-five percent of people injured in home fires involving cooking equipment were hurt while attempting to fight the fire themselves.
• Failure to clean was a factor contributing to ignition in 17% of reported home fires involving ovens or rotisseries.

Heating

• The leading factor contributing to heating equipment fires was failure to clean. This usually involved creosote build-up in chimneys.
• Portable or fixed space heaters, including wood stoves, were involved in one-third (33%) of home heating fires and four out of five (81%) home heating deaths.
• Just over half of home heating fire deaths resulted from fires caused by heating equipment too close to things that can burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, mattresses or bedding.
• In most years, heating equipment is the second leading cause of home fires, fire deaths, and fire injuries.

Smoking Materials

• Smoking materials started an average of 17,900 smoking-material home structure fires per year during 2007-2011. These fires caused an average of 580 deaths, 1,280 injuries and $509 million in direct property damage per year.
• Most deaths in home smoking-material fires were caused by fires that started in bedrooms (40%) or living rooms, family rooms or dens (35%).
• Sleep was a factor in roughly one-third of the home smoking material fire deaths.
• Possible alcohol impairment was a factor in one in five (19%) of home smoking fire deaths.
• One out of four fatal victims of smoking-material fires is not the smoker whose cigarettes started the fire.

Electrical

• About half (48%) of home electrical fires involved electrical distribution or lighting equipment. Other leading types of equipment were washer or dryer, fan, portable or stationary space heater, air conditioning equipment water heater and range.
• Electrical failure or malfunctions caused an average of 47,800 home fires per year in 2007-2011, resulting in   an average of 450 deaths and $1.5 billion in direct property damage.

Candles

• During 2007-2011 candles caused 3% of home fires, 4% of home fire deaths, 7% of home fire injuries, and 6% of direct property damage from home fires.
• On average, there are 29 home candle fires reported per day.
• More than one-third of these fires (36%) started in the bedroom; however, the candle industry found that only 13% of candle users burn candles in the bedroom most often.
• Nearly three in five candle fires start when things that can burn are too close to the candle.
• Falling asleep was a factor in 11% of the home candle fires and 37% of the associated deaths.

Fire Safety Tips for Fall

Fire Safety Tips for Fall

When the weather turns cold most people spend more time inside their homes using fireplaces, furnaces, and heaters to keep warm. There's nothing quite as cozy as a fire, but it presents some safety hazards. Keep these tips in mind.

Service Your Furnace

Before the cold autumn and winter weather sets in, be sure to call your heating and cooling company to service your furnace. A specialist should inspect the furnace to make sure everything is in working order and that there are no leaks.

Use Fireplaces Safely

Use Caution with Space Heaters

Keep that fire in its proper place by using a fireplace screen to keep sparks from flying out of the fireplace. Never leave a burning fire unattended, and make sure a fire in a fireplace is completely out before going to bed.

A space heater can be an effective way to warm up a chilly room, but it's essential that you read the instructions on the unit before you use it. If your space heater requires venting, make sure you have vented it to the outdoors. Never use your stove or oven to heat your home; only use space heaters that are approved for this purpose. Always allow at least three feet of empty area around space heaters.

Reconsider Leaf Burning

The Air Defenders reports that burning leaves produces dangerous and cancer-causing chemicals and urges homeowners to avoid disposing of leaves this way. If you decide to burn leaves, wear a protective mask. Burning leaves should only be attempted far away from a house or other structures on a homeowner's property. Always check the weather forecast before starting to burn leaves. This activity should not be attempted in windy conditions.

OSHA Issues New Policies and Procedures for Resolving Whistleblower Disputes

According to an agency news release, OSHA has issued policies and procedures for applying a new process for resolving whistleblower disputes. The process is part of an early resolution process that is part of a regional Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) program.

This program gives whistleblower parties the change to negotiate a settlement with the assistance of a neutral, confidential OSHA rep with expertise in whistleblower investigations. The ADR Act requires that each federal agency "adopt a policy that addresses the use of alternative means of dispute resolution and case management."

"OSHA receives several thousand whistleblower complaints for investigation each year," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. "The Alternative Dispute Resolution process can be a valuable alternative to the expensive and time consuming process of an investigation and litigation. It will provide whistleblower complainants and respondents the option of exploring voluntary resolution of their disputes outside of the traditional investigative process."

September is National Preparedness Month

If an emergency occurred tomorrow, would you be ready?

September is National Preparedness Month. Sponsored by FEMA, National Preparedness Month aims to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to all types of emergencies, including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks.

National Preparedness Month is a time to prepare yourself and those in your care for emergencies and disasters, both large scale and smaller local events. We know that emergencies can happen unexpectedly in communities just like yours, to people like you. We’ve seen tornado outbreaks, river floods and flash floods, historic earthquakes, tsunamis, and even water main breaks and power outages that impact communities for days at a time.

As commendable as they may be in their profession of assisting those in need, police, fire and rescue may not always be able to reach you quickly in an emergency or disaster. The most important step you can take in helping your local responders is being able to take care of yourself and those in your care for at least a short period of time following an incident; the more people who are prepared, the quicker the community will recover.

You are not helpless in the face of an emergency. With just a few simple steps, you can Be a Force of Nature by knowing your risk, taking action and being an example in your community.

Know your risk 

Emergencies can happen anywhere, at any time. It is important to understand potential risks where you live.

What you can do:

1. Bookmark weather.gov to stay informed on severe weather.
2. Learn about Wireless Emergency Alerts, messages that will be sent to your phone during an emergency.
3. Get practical tips on preparing for disaster at ready.gov.

Take action 

Make sure that you and your family are prepared for an emergency. Ensure that you can go for at least three days without electricity, water service, access to a supermarket, or other local services.
What you can do:

1. Prepare a disaster supply kit with at least three days of food and water.
2. Create a Family Emergency Plan, so that your family knows how to communicate during an emergency.
3. Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio.

Be an example 

Be a positive influence on your community by sharing your preparedness story. Let your friends and family know that you’re prepared for an emergency – and that they should be prepared too. Research has shown that many people won’t prepare until they see others doing so.
What you can do:

1. Share your preparedness story on Facebook so that friends and family will know what you’ll do in case of disaster.
2. Tell the world you’re prepared on Twitter using hashtag #NATLPREP.
3. Get involved with your local American Red Cross Chapter or train with a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

You don’t know when an emergency might occur. These simple steps will help you be prepared for the worst.

FEMA’s Ready.gov website provides detailed information on what may be most important to you and your family.  You can find specific information tailored to specifics needs such as people with disabilities, seniors, assisting children, business readiness, and even information for you pets. For more information, see Ready.gov

NOAA is working with FEMA and other agencies to help improve disaster readiness through campaigns such as National Preparedness Month. Through efforts such as the Weather-Ready Nation initiative, NOAA seeks to build community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather events.

September is Food Safety Education Month - School Lunches

September is Food Safety Education Month (be sure to check out our website for upcoming events). This is a great reminder that it’s important to prepare and store those school lunches safely. Food safety may not be on the radar for most kids (they’ve already got schoolwork and growing up to worry about), but simply practicing safe cooking and food preparation can go a long way in helping your kids avoid foodborne illness. Busy parents will be glad to know that practicing proper food safety is as easy as “clean, separate, cook and chill”:

Clean

• Be sure to thoroughly wash all fruits and vegetables under running tap water, then blot dry with a paper towel before adding them to the lunch bag. Don’t forget to also wash any produce with an inedible peel or rind such as bananas and avocados. Sly bacteria from the outer peel can be transferred to your child’s hands and then onto the edible part of the fruit.
• Remind your kids to throw out all perishable leftovers and disposable food packaging.

Separate

• To avoid cross-contamination, never reuse food packaging.

Cook

• Use insulated bottles to keep hot food out of the temperature “danger zone.” Carefully pour boiling water into an insulated bottle, then empty the bottle and fill it with hot food. Leave the lid on the bottle until it’s time for lunch.
• When making lunches using cooked meats (such as chicken salad), be sure to thoroughly cook all poultry, eggs and meat. Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat.

Chill

• If you prepare lunch the night before, keep it cool in the fridge overnight.
• Choose an insulated lunch bag and use freezable gel packs to keep food cool until lunchtime. These products are usually quite inexpensive, and this small investment can go a long way in helping to prevent foodborne illness.
• Encourage your child to store his/her lunch in a refrigerator (if available).

Print out these tips so that both you and your kids have a reminder to clean, separate, cook and chill. You can also visit the “Fight BAC!” website for more free educational materials on food safety. Follow these simple steps, and your school year will be off to a healthy and safe start!

For additional resources or information, check out foodinsight.org.