ROCKINGHAM – According to FEMA, there have been 59 fatalities from house fires in the state this year.
Richmond County has been fortunate, according to Fire Chief Harold Isler. The county had no fatalities or injuries in the 548 calls that Rockingham’s fire services answered last year.
Even so, there are a few measures that residents can take to continue that trend and help keep their loved ones and property safe.
“Our best lines of defense are really the homeowners” Isler said.
The first and best way to protect oneself is a smoke alarm.
Isler finds that even today there are homes that do not have smoke alarms.
“You’d be surprised at the amount of homes within our fire district several years ago that didn’t have them. We’d go into the place and they didn’t have a working smoke detector,” Isler said.
The American Red Cross recommends having alarms on every level of the home and in bedrooms and hallways.
There are three types of smoke alarm: ionization, photo electric and dual sensor.
The ionization type is better at detecting open flames. They work by sensing the air flow between two electrically charged plates. When that flow is interrupted the alarm triggers.
Photo-electric detectors work better for fires generating heavy smoke and which may not have erupted into open flame. They aim a light into a sensor, and when smoke enters the chamber where the sensor is located, it reflects light onto the sensor triggering the alarm.
Dual-sensor alarms contain both types of sensors. The National Fire Protection Association recommends using this type of alarm or installing both types.
Just having an alarm is not enough and there are a few guidelines to follow once they are installed.
The detector should be tested regularly (preferably each month) to make sure it – and the batteries – work. Batteries should be replaced twice a year. The typical rule of thumb for replacement is in spring and fall at daylight savings time.
Smoke alarms, like many pieces of safety equipment, are only designed to be used for a certain period of time. They should be replaced every 10 years or as recommended by the manufacturer, according to Isler.
The Rockingham fire department has joined a grant program that helps families ensure that their homes are protected. The grant provides smoke alarms for residents in the participating department’s fire district.
“We can go in and put in four to six smoke detectors depending on the house size,” Isler said. “The state sends us the smoke detectors at no cost to us and we go out and install it. It takes a matter of minutes; we pop them up. They’re good to go.”
The alarms must be installed by the fire department and those requesting assistance must live in the city limits of Rockingham. The alarms are free, and there is no income requirement.
The program also provides smoke alarms for the hearing impaired.
The second best way to protect loved ones is to have an escape plan and review it with family regularly. Plan the best route out of the home and possible alternative routes. Find two routes out of every room. Make sure windows are not blocked or painted shut. If they have safety bars, make sure the bars can be opened quickly. Collapsible ladders should be available for multi-story homes. Each member of the family should practice getting out of the home with their eyes closed. Parents should teach children not to hide from firefighters.
In the event of a fire follow these steps:
- Get down low. Stay as low as possible and crawl out because smoke and toxic gases rise and collect at the ceiling.
- Check doors before opening them. Feel the knob and door with the back of the hand. If either one is hot, or if smoke is coming in around the door, do not open it. Use the alternate escape route.
- Open doors slowly and be prepared to close it quickly if there is heavy smoke or fire.
- If family members or pets are trapped, do not try to rescue them. Tell the 911 operator where they are.
- Anyone who is trapped should close all doors to the room and cover vents and cracks under doors to keep smoke out. Say put and wait for help and try to find a way to alert firefighters of your location.
- If clothes catch fire, stop, drop, and roll! Stop, drop to the ground, cover the face with your hands and roll over or back and forth until the fire is extinguished. If the person cannot do that, smother the flames with a blanket or towel.
The objective is to get out of the home as quickly as possible and then call for help.
Isler reminds residents to never return to a burning structure; no item is worth a life.
There are some things residents can do to extinguish small fires and keep them from getting out of hand. Covering a burning pot with a lid or throwing baking soda – not baking powder – onto a fire to smother it are two suggestions.
The best method is to have at least one fire extinguisher in the home and know how to use it. Simply having an extinguisher is not enough. It needs to be placed in an easily accessible area, according to Isler.
He recounts the story of one of his fire calls to illustrate the importance of placing fire extinguishers in the correct area.
“When I first got into the fire service in Goldsboro, one of the first calls I ever went on was a 90-some-year-old lady. Her grandson gave her a fire extinguisher for Christmas one year,” Isler said. “She actually had a fire on the stove, and she needed it. When he hung it, he hung it [behind the stove]. So where did she have to go to get it? Through the fire.”
The woman suffered third degree burns on both arms.
He recommends that extinguishers in the kitchen be placed within reach and preferably behind the cooking area or away from and a fire prone area.
“Your fastest moving fires are going to be in the kitchen area, usually from grease,” Isler said.
He recommends having at least one fire extinguisher in the home, but other experts suggest having a few throughout the house. They advise placing extinguishers in bedrooms, hallways, basements and workshops as well.
To use an extinguisher, remember the PASS method: Pull, Aim, Squeeze and Sweep. Pull the safety pin, aim at the base of the fire, squeeze the handle and sweep back and forth.
The most crucial step is to remember to stay calm and pull the pin said Isler, who operated a fire extinguisher company in Goldsboro. He has seen a few cases where people forgot to pull the pin causing the extinguisher not to work.
“They would pick up the phone and say this fire extinguisher you serviced didn’t work, so I wanted to see why it didn’t work. I go there, and the pin’s bent halfway down into the handle. They didn’t pull the pin out,” Isler said. “If you don’t pull the pin, it’s not going to discharge. It’s not going to shoot.”
Fire extinguishers come in a variety of styles, and each is designed for a specific purpose. The three main classes are: A, B and C with each class used for a particular kind of fire. Class A extinguishers are designed to suppress regular flammable items like paper, wood and plastic. Class B work best for flammable liquids like gasoline, kerosene and solvents. Class C is recommended for electrical fires.
ABC extinguishers are designed to handle all three types and make use of dry chemicals that suppress the fire by cutting off oxygen needed to feed the flames and interrupting the chemical reactions.
Having one of these on hand may prevent a fire from getting out of hand.
Isler recommends the ABC type for us in the home or office.
“Heat, fuel, oxygen and a chemical chain reaction, you need all four of those elements to even have a fire. Years ago when they used the water fire extinguisher and spray it on the fire, it cooled it, same thing as far as the B and the C goes. If I take that dry powder and I spray it on top of a fire, what did I do to it? I took the oxygen away from it.” Isler said. “ABC fire extinguishers have been around for a long time. They’ve saved a lot of property over the years.”
Like smoke detectors, fire extinguishers should be properly maintained. Owners should regularly check the seals. For dry chemicals turn the extinguisher over and shake it to keep the powder loose. If it has a pressure gauge, check the pressure to makes sure it is at the right level – it should be in the green. Look the unit over for signs of rust, corrosion, leaks or a clogged or damaged nozzle. If there is damage, replace it. The fire department can check extinguishers and advise homeowners of any possible issues with the unit, but they cannot service them.
“A $50 fire extinguisher, if it saves a $200,000 house, it did its job. If it saves a $10,000 house, it did its job,” Isler said.
For more information call the Rockingham Fire Department at 910-997-4002.
This article was contributed by Beth Lawrence, a new addition to the growing family of talented writers at the Richmond Observer.
