Smoldering threat

LITTLE ROCK — When snow, sleet and ice are prevalent, people hunker down inside to stay warm.

Winter is a time when the risk of house fires increases, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

An estimated 108,400 winter residential fires occur each year, according to the group’s website. That’s due to an increased use of fireplaces, space heaters, wood stoves and other methods of heating such as cooking stoves, according to the agency.

Arkansas ranks in the top five nationally for residential fires, says Brigette Williams, communications information officer for the American Red Cross in Arkansas.

Between the Christmas Day snow and ice storm that slowed down most of the state and New Year’s Day, the state’s American Red Cross chapter was notified of 66 residential fires, Williams says.

“A lot of it was because people were doing their best to stay warm,” she says.

Throughout the year, Arkansas averages four house fires each day, Williams says.

“As of last year, we were No. 3 on the FEMA high fire fatality list and a majority of the victims of those fires were children under the age of 12,” she says. “Fire is the Red Cross’s No. 1 disaster response - not just in Arkansas, but across the country.”

Some fires are caused by faulty wiring or not performing routine maintenance on heating and cooling units, fireplaces, chimneys and clothes dryer vents. Others are caused by things most of us do everyday - leaving the kitchen when cooking or leaving flammable items too close to space heaters or wood stoves.

“If we’re all honest, we’ve probably all done something that, under the right circumstances, would have caused a fire,” Williams says. “It’s usually very mundane things that people do that start fires under the right circumstances.”

That means that most fires - save the handful each year caused by rare events such as arson or lightning strikes - are preventable by keeping your eyes and ears open and using common sense.

ALARMS AND EXTINGUISHERS

Fire prevention starts with a good smoke detector, Williams says.

“You want to have a working smoke alarm in addition to a combination smoke alarm-carbon monoxide detector,” she says.

“You want to have one on each floor of the house if you have multiple levels or, if you have more of a ranch style house, you want one in a hallway on each wing of the home.” The U.S. Fire Administration also recommends alarms be installed in each bedroom if the occupant sleeps with the door closed, as smoke from the bedroom won’t be able to reach an alarm positioned in the hallway otherwise.

Smoke alarms come in three basic formats - ionization alarms, which react more quickly to open flames; photoelectric alarms, which react faster to smoldering fires and are less reactive to smoke from other sources such as cooking; and dual sensor alarms, which feature ionization and photoelectric mechanisms. The latter are recommended for most homes by the U.S. Fire Administration since occupants seldom know what kind of fire might affect them.

Power sources also differ. Some alarms are powered by 9-volt batteries while others have so-called 10-year batteries. Some are plugged into your home’s electrical system so that if one fire alarm goes off, the rest of the alarms around the home will follow suit.

Williams also recommends homes have a fire extinguisher for use on small fires. “We’re not asking that you get that so you can fight a fire,” she says. The extinguisher is primarily for small fires like those confined to a waste basket or a single burner on a stove. Users should always be sure they have an escape route before they begin to extinguish a fire.

“If you see that it’s getting out of control, you need to get out of the house,” Williams says. “You’re not there to be a firefighter.”

Extinguishers should be routinely pressure tested and dry, chemical extinguishers should be shaken once a month to prevent the powder inside from settling or packing.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

While smoke alarms and fire extinguishers are often thought of as the first line of defense during a residential fire, fire prevention includes far more than just having those two items on hand. Eliminating the causes of potential fires ensures homeowners and renters won’t need their smoke detectors or their extinguishers.

Faulty electrical wiring and overloaded circuits are common causes of house fires around the state, Williams says. And it’s not just older houses going up in flames. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a new house,” she says. “We’ve had new houses burn.”

“We responded to a fire not too long ago where the family got a call that their house was on fire, and they had just left for work,” she says. “It was a new home that they had just purchased, and there was some defect in the wiring.”

Electrical fires are common year-round, but fires started by heating sources such as fireplaces, wood stoves and space heaters are particularly prevalent in the winter, especially when the electricity goes out due to storms.

Kitchens are another common area where house fires start, Williams says. Cooking fires are common, especially when people leave the room after they put on a pot of water to boil or some chicken to fry.

“All it takes is a few pops and you’ve got a kitchen fire,” she says.

PLAN YOUR ESCAPE

But what if a house fire starts that can’t be handled with an extinguisher? It’s important to have an evacuation plan that includes all members of the household, Williams says. This should include two ways to get out of every room, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, plus a place where all family members should meet to take attendance.

“If you have a two-story home, know how you would get out of that second floor,” she says. One possibility is having exterior ladders that can be dropped from the inside during a fire.

Parents should also test the fire alarm with their children to see how the children react, she says. Some children will get up and seek Mom and Dad or find their way out of the home, while others will remain in bed.

Finally, once out of the home, do not go back inside. “Not for people and not for pets,” Williams says.