Plan now to survive a fire
Today is the last day of the National Fire Protection Association's Fire Prevention Week, which this year celebrated its 100th anniversary.
“Today's homes burn faster than ever and you may have as little as two minutes, or less, to safely escape a home fire from the time the smoke alarm sounds,” says Lorraine Carli in the organization's press release. “Your ability to get out of a home during a fire depends on early warning from smoke alarms and advance planning.”
The Southern Marin Fire Protection District, which teamed with the NFPA to share how to prevent house fires, also offers tips for Marin residents.
According to district communication coordinator Elysha Omoomy, most house fires start with kitchen fires, open flames from barbecues and fire pits, or from electrical sources. And, because accidents happen, advanced planning, including escape routes, can help.
That is one of three things that firefighters would most like homeowners or residents to know. The other two are that smoke detectors save lives and that you should close the door behind you in a fire to slow its spread.
What do firefighters say homeowners wish they had done in advance?
“Digitalizing important documents, having a go-bag and being prepared to evacuate,” top the list, Omoomy says.
Here are more tips to be better prepared to survive a house fire and the aftermath.
• Make an escape plan
“It's important for everyone to plan and practice a home fire escape,” Omoomy says. “Have a plan for everyone in the home.”
Escape plans should include two possible exits from each room or building.
People with mobility issues should sleep on the ground floor and in a room with a door to the outside.
“If someone uses a mobility device and can self-transfer, include this action when you practice your fire drill,” she
says. Have them “wake up, transfer to the wheelchair or get their walker or cane, and get out of the home in less than two minutes.”
Sleep with any mobility device, glasses and telephone close to your bed.
Keep pathways and hallways lit with nightlights and free from clutter so everyone can get out safely.
• Digitalize documents
“Digitalize all records and insurance papers, and even take videos of property and items to help with the insurance claim process,” she says. You'll be able to move forward more quickly in the aftermath.
• Install smoke alarms
“Carbon monoxide alarms are required in residential units in the state of California,” Omoomy says. “Combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms can be used, and are encouraged to ensure proper coverage. Choose ones that are listed by a qualified testing laboratory and approved by the California office of the state fire marshal. Look for the seal.”
And test them each month. Depending upon the type of alarm you choose, replace either the battery or the whole alarm when the low-battery alert “chirps.”
• Install alert devices
“When people who are deaf are asleep, a pillow or bed shaker should be used to wake them and alert them to fire conditions so they can escape,” Omoomy says. “This device is activated by the sound of a standard smoke alarm.”
Pairing a “shaker” with a high-intensity strobe light can also be helpful, she says. “When the smoke alarm sounds, strobe lights flash to alert people who are deaf, or hard of hearing, of a possible fire while they are awake.”
She recommends devices that are listed by a qualified testing laboratory.
• Keep a fire extinguisher handy
“As a general rule, firefighting should be left to professional firefighters,” Omoomy says. “Fire extinguishers are meant for putting out small fires or for help escaping from the area, not for fighting large, out-of-control fires.”
Before using one, she adds, make sure the fire is small and contained, that you are using the correct type of extinguisher for the fire and that you know how to use it.
Make sure you have a clear escape route without toxic fumes or smoke, and that anyone else leaves the house immediately. One of them should call 911.
“If the fire does not go out after using one extinguisher, back out of the area, close the door if possible, get outside and call 911,” she says.
Inspect portable fire extinguishers once a month and have them serviced annually by a certified expert. Check the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to see if your fire extinguisher is under recall.
• During a house fire
“When the smoke alarm sounds, get out and stay out,” Omoomy says. “Go to the outside meeting place. Call 911. If smoke blocks the door, or the first way out, use your second way out.
“If you cannot escape, close the door, cover the vents and cracks around the door with cloth or tape to keep out the smoke,” she says. “Call 911, say where you are and then signal for help at the window with a flashlight or light-colored cloth.”
Never re-enter a burning building for any reason, she says. If you can't help someone else who needs to escape, leave the house and tell the 911 operator the location of that person. If pets are trapped inside, tell firefighters right away.
For more detailed tips, go to smfd.org, readymarin.org or firesafemarin.org.
• Free smoke alarms
The Red Cross also encourages escape plan practices and the installation of smoke alarms.
Alarms “should be installed inside every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of your home,” says Red Cross spokesperson Martin Gagliano in a press release. “Smoke alarms should be interconnected so when one sounds, they all sound.”
Red Cross may be able to help those who can't afford to purchase bed shakers or smoke alarms or are physically unable to install them. Call 1-800-Red-Cross or to to SoundTheAlarm.org/NorCalCoastal to request an appointment.
Show off
If you have a beautiful or interesting Marin garden or a newly designed Marin home, I'd love to know about it.
Please send an email describing either one (or both), what you love most about it, and a photograph or two. I will post the best ones in upcoming columns. Your name will be published and you must be over 18 years old and a Marin resident.
Don't-miss event
• Enjoy a free film screening of “From Earth to Sky,” highlighting seven indigenous North American architects, from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Oct. 20 in the Studio at the Marin Art and Garden Center at 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in San Anselmo. Register at 415-455-5260 or go to maringarden.org.