(Troy, MI) – The Troy Fire Department has
experienced 18 large loss fires so far in 2010.
Two of these fires involved commercial structures while all of the
others involved residential structures.
This number represents a significant increase in the number of structure
fire responses normally experienced in a year. While the causes of these fires have varied,
there have been some common contributing factors homeowners should note to help
prevent future fires.
Two
of the most important things are to make sure that you have working smoke
detectors and a fire escape plan for the entire family. You should practice your plan regularly and
check smoke detectors monthly. Battery
operated smoke detectors should have the battery changed twice a year – when
you change your clocks to/from daylight savings time. In the event of fire, these two things will
significantly increase your family’s chance of survival.
In
order to address some of the causes of this year’s fires, The Troy Fire
Prevention Division would like to make homeowners aware of the following things
they can do to help prevent fires:
1. Make sure your heating system is in
good condition and has been properly installed.
Any work done on this system should be done by a reputable company. Permits may be necessary for some work so
that inspections will be done by building officials to help assure that work
was done properly. Your heating system
should be inspected annually. This would
help to find problems such as discoloration in surrounding areas indicating
heat build-up.
2. Cigarettes and other hot objects such
as fireplace ashes should be disposed of properly. A metal can with water at the bottom, placed
outside away from the structure is best.
Never dispose of these items in a wastebasket or set a container in a
garage. Heat can be retained for a
lengthy period of time in any container and can ignite nearby objects.
3. Never leave cooking devices unattended. This is still the leading cause of fires in
the United States today. Make sure all
combustibles are kept away from hot surfaces. If you are leaving the kitchen, turn the
burner off and remove pans from the burner.
Have a properly fitted lid nearby to smother a fire in a pan. If a fire occurs, place the lid on the pan,
turn the heat off, evacuate the home and call 9-1-1.
4. Do not leave heating devices such as irons,
blow dryers or space heaters plugged-in when not in use. Space heaters should not be left on and
unattended.
5. Assure that your wiring is in good
condition and that outlets are not overloaded.
Use circuit protected plug strips instead of extension cords and make
sure that you have not exceeded the capacity of the strip. Use only U.L. listed cords and appliances.
6. When hiring contractors to do any work
in your home make sure they are competent, qualified, experienced and have any
necessary certifications for the job they are working on. Remember – you get what you pay for. If the price sounds too good to be true, it
may be.
7. While some types of open burning are
allowed by ordinance, there are restrictions.
The ordinance is available for viewing via the internet on the City’s
web site or you can contact the fire department if you have questions. Never leave any ground fire unattended. Have extinguishing materials nearby to
completely extinguish the fire before leaving.
8. Be very careful when using candles
around the home. Never leave candles
unattended while burning and keep all combustibles away from the flame. Just as when cooking, make sure you are not
wearing loose clothing when lighting a candle.
If
you do have a fire, do not delay reporting it!
Several of this year’s fires had a significant delay in reporting. Fires can grow very rapidly making it
difficult for firefighters to enter the structure on arrival for interior
firefighting operations. In a fire, seconds
can make the difference between a minor loss and a total loss.
And
finally, if you have had structural work done on your home in the past it may
affect how the home responds to fire.
Work done improperly could lead to significant failure of structural
components and put firefighters at even more risk when trying to extinguish the
fire. While removing an interior wall to
widen a room may seem like a simple project, it may impact the roof supports or
other load bearing components within the structure. Even without adding fire to the equation, this
could weaken the structure of the home.
If there is a fire, the structure could fail much earlier and further
endanger occupants or firefighters.
If
you have any questions about fire prevention and home fire safety please
contact the Troy Fire Prevention Division at 248-524-3419.
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