Fire Prevention Week coincides with start of home heating season;
Fire officials urge safety after deadly season last year

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo – State Fire Marshal Randy Cole is urging Missourians to pay extra attention to the basic rules of fire safety and home heating safety at the kick-off of Fire Prevention Week 2009. The advice comes after Division of Fire Safety investigators probed an increased number of deadly fires last year. During the 2009 fiscal year (July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009), state fire investigators investigated fires which resulted in 78 deaths. During the 2008 fiscal year they investigated fires resulting in 67 deaths.

“Every family member, including young children, should understand the basic fundamentals of fire safety that involve wood burning stoves, fireplaces and supplemental heating sources, such as portable electric and kerosene heaters. Properly functioning smoke detectors with fresh batteries and carbon monoxide detectors should be must have items, not just suggestions,” State Fire Marshal Randy Cole said.

Fire Prevention Week, October 4-10, 2009, is recognized annually by the national Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and fire departments and safety agencies across the country. This year’s campaign, “Stay Fire Smart! Don’t Get Burned,” focuses on ways to keep homes fire safe and prevent painful burns. Fire Marshal Cole and other fire service leaders are also urging families to plan and practice escape routes from their homes in case a fire occurs.

“A home plan should be considered as soon as a family moves into a new residence. It should be explained to children and revised as they grow up and it should be practiced regularly,” Fire Marshal Cole said. “Saving just a few seconds getting out of a house can make the difference in surviving a fire. Having an agreed upon family meeting place outside the home is also essential.”

The statistics are staggering. Each year roughly 3,000 people die as a result of home fires and burns, and more than 200,000 individuals are seen in the nation’s emergency rooms for burn injuries.
By following simple safety rules, you can “Stay Fire Smart! Don’t Get Burned.”
• Never leave a child alone in a room with a lit candle, portable heater, lit fireplace or stove, or where a hot appliance might be in use.
• Keep hot foods and liquids away from tables and counter edges so they cannot be pulled or knocked over.
• Have a 3-foot “kid-free” zone around the stove.
• Never hold a child in your arms while preparing hot food or drinking a hot beverage.
• Be careful when using things that get hot such as curling irons, oven, irons, lamps, heaters.
• Install tamper-resistant receptacles to prevent a child from sticking an object into an outlet.
• Wear short or close-fitting sleeves when cooking.
• Set your hot water temperature no higher than 120 degrees.
• Install anti-scald valves on shower heads and faucets.

For 85 years, fire departments have observed Fire Prevention Week, making it the longest running public health and safety observance on record. For more information on “Stay Fire Smart! Don’t Get Burned.” visit www.firepreventionweek.org.

Mike O'Connell
DPS Communications
Office: 573-751-4819
mike.o'connell@dps.mo.gov

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