Local officials remind public to practice fire safety
Local officials remind public to practice fire safety
By Lucas Knowles
Editor
Local fire officials are reminding the public to practice common sense after several fires have occurred recently.
Scarborough Fire Chief Mike Thurlow said a message from the International Association of Fire Chiefs about a rash of fires nationally does apply in Scarborough as well. He said last week, at a home on Spurwink Road, a man was trying to start a fire and found a particular log was too big, so he threw that log back on the woodpile. It turned out that log was still smoldering and caught the rest of the woodpile on fire, along with the man’s house.
Thurlow said in that fire on Spurwink Road, smoke detectors proved to be an invaluable help. He said smoke detectors should be present in every home and batteries should be replaced twice a year and that Daylight Savings Time is a good opportunity to do that.
According to Thurlow, the Scarborough Fire Department is willing to help anybody who cannot afford smoke detectors. He said that, recently, the department teamed with Project G.R.A.C.E to provide a family with a deaf parent with a strobe light smoke detector and a device designed to shake the deaf person’s bed in the event of a fire.
Some fire safety suggestions to keep in mind include the following:
• Check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to be sure they are working properly. Thurlow said smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should be present on every floor of a building.
• Thurlow said if a fire does break out in a home, people should call the local fire department first and not try to extinguish the fire by themselves.
• Have an escape plan with a meeting place.
• Once you exit your home, do not return. Too many people lose their lives going back into a burning home.
• Stoves are not made for heating homes.
• Supplemental heating devices should be used and maintained in accordance with manufacturer recommendations. Keep combustibles clear. Do not leave supplemental heating devices unattended.
• If you are burning wood in your fireplace, make sure your chimneys are properly maintained. That goes for your furnace as well.
• If candles are necessary, use them in a safe environment in a fireproof container and away from children. Do not leave them unattended.
• And, for the long term, consider getting a residential fire sprinkler. According to statistics, the risk of death by fire is reduced by 82 percent when smoke detectors are accompanied with residential fire sprinklers.
Thurlow said the Scarborough Fire Department does perform inspections of woodstoves and other heating elements free of charge and that people should try to minimize any “human element” in starting a fire.
By Lucas Knowles
Editor
Local fire officials are reminding the public to practice common sense after several fires have occurred recently.
Scarborough Fire Chief Mike Thurlow said a message from the International Association of Fire Chiefs about a rash of fires nationally does apply in Scarborough as well. He said last week, at a home on Spurwink Road, a man was trying to start a fire and found a particular log was too big, so he threw that log back on the woodpile. It turned out that log was still smoldering and caught the rest of the woodpile on fire, along with the man’s house.
Thurlow said in that fire on Spurwink Road, smoke detectors proved to be an invaluable help. He said smoke detectors should be present in every home and batteries should be replaced twice a year and that Daylight Savings Time is a good opportunity to do that.
According to Thurlow, the Scarborough Fire Department is willing to help anybody who cannot afford smoke detectors. He said that, recently, the department teamed with Project G.R.A.C.E to provide a family with a deaf parent with a strobe light smoke detector and a device designed to shake the deaf person’s bed in the event of a fire.
Some fire safety suggestions to keep in mind include the following:
• Check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to be sure they are working properly. Thurlow said smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should be present on every floor of a building.
• Thurlow said if a fire does break out in a home, people should call the local fire department first and not try to extinguish the fire by themselves.
• Have an escape plan with a meeting place.
• Once you exit your home, do not return. Too many people lose their lives going back into a burning home.
• Stoves are not made for heating homes.
• Supplemental heating devices should be used and maintained in accordance with manufacturer recommendations. Keep combustibles clear. Do not leave supplemental heating devices unattended.
• If you are burning wood in your fireplace, make sure your chimneys are properly maintained. That goes for your furnace as well.
• If candles are necessary, use them in a safe environment in a fireproof container and away from children. Do not leave them unattended.
• And, for the long term, consider getting a residential fire sprinkler. According to statistics, the risk of death by fire is reduced by 82 percent when smoke detectors are accompanied with residential fire sprinklers.
Thurlow said the Scarborough Fire Department does perform inspections of woodstoves and other heating elements free of charge and that people should try to minimize any “human element” in starting a fire.
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