Cold temps increase fire danger
Firefighters give tips to avoid heating fires
As weather turns cooler outside, firefighters know they will get more calls to fight fires in homes, and most of those will be heating related.
Fall is time to check smoke alarms, and take precautions with space heaters and fireplaces.
There have been 19 fire deaths in Oklahoma City this year, and the cooler days are beginning to result in more people starting to use their heaters at homes.
Smoke alarms are free for residents and could help stop the rise in fire deaths, said Battalion Chief Benny Fulkerson.
Already this year firefighters have given over 6,600 smoke alarms in Oklahoma City homes. In 2017, firefighters gave away 3,659 alarms.
"We've had a very large number of fire deaths this year with 19 deaths, and 12 of those deaths were in January alone," Fulkerson said. "That's a very high number for us."
In 2017, there were 12 fire deaths in Oklahoma City.
Smoke alarms are an important part of a home safety plan, he said. Smoke inhalation kills more people than the flames in a fire, and smoke may not wake up a sleeping person like the beep of the alarm can, Fulkerson said.
"We're doing everything we can to make sure our residents are safe. Smoke alarms are a huge, huge component of a home fire safety plan. We talk about this all the time you have to have a working smoke alarm," Fulkerson said.
On May 1, two men were at a home in southeast Oklahoma City, about 1:10 p.m. at 4101 Laverne Ave. It was the same home where firefighters had installed a smoke alarm in December, 2016. That alarm worked when fire broke out and alerted the men who got out safely.
"We know that what we are doing has an effect," Fulkerson said.
To get a free smoke alarm and to have it installed in Oklahoma City call 405-3162337, or go online to smokealarmsokc.com or gratisalarmasokc.com.