This weekend, March 13 and 14, we will all be setting our clocks to Daylight Saving Time. The time change is a good reminder to check your smoke alarms. According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than 66 percent of home fire deaths that occurred between 2003-2006 were in homes without a working smoke alarm. A working smoke alarm significantly increases your chances of surviving a deadly home fire.

A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether you’re awake or asleep, a working smoke alarm is constantly on alert, scanning the air for fire and smoke. Smoke alarms must be maintained! A smoke alarm with a dead or missing battery is the same as having no smoke alarm at all, so test your smoke alarm monthly by pushing the “test” button, if it has one.

Smoke alarms are powered by either a battery or are hardwired into your home’s electrical system. Hardwired smoke alarms are usually equipped with a backup battery. If your smoke alarm is powered by battery, the battery needs to be replaced annually unless it is a long-life battery (check the owner’s manual). All batteries should be maintained and replaced in accordance with manufacturer’s guidance.

Choose an annual date, such as the time change, when you will remember to maintain your smoke alarm in tip top condition. Check the manufacturer’s expiration date on the label, replace the batteries if needed, and clean dust away from the slots so that smoke can enter freely. All smoke alarms, hard-wired and battery powered, should be replaced every ten years. These simple steps will help ensure that you and your family will have the best chance of surviving if fire should strike.

USFA has a fire safety campaign called Install. Inspect. Protect. which provides information about home smoke alarms and fire sprinklers. Please visit the campaign Web site at www.usfa.dhs.gov/campaigns/smokealarms/.

USED PROPERLY, a portable fire extinguisher can save lives and property by putting out a small fire or containing it until the fire department arrives.

Portable extinguishers for home use, however, are not designed to fight large or spreading fires. Even against small fires, they are useful only under certain conditions.

The operator must know how to use the extinguisher. There is no time to read directions during an emergency.

• The extinguisher must be within easy reach and in working order, fully charged.
• The operator must have a clear escape route that will not be blocked by fire.
• The extinguisher must match the type of fire being fought. Extinguishers that contain water are unsuitable for use on grease or electrical fires.
• The extinguisher must be large enough to put out the fire. (Many portable
  extinguishers discharge completely in as few as 8 to 10 seconds.)

Choosing Your Extinguisher

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS ARE tested by independent laboratories and labeled for the type and size of fire they can extinguish. Use these labels as a guide to purchase the kind of extinguisher that suits you needs.

Classes of Fires

There are three classes of fire. All fire extinguishers are labeled using standard symbols for the classes of fires they can put out. A red slash through any of the symbols tells you the extinguisher cannot be used on that class of fire. A missing symbol tells you only that the extinguisher has not been tested for a given class of fire.

Class A: Ordinary combustibles such as wood, cloth, and paper.

Class B: Flammable liquids such as gasoline, oil, and oil-based paint.

Class C: Energized electrical equipment – including wiring, fuse boxes, circuit breakers,
and appliances.

The extinguisher must be appropriate for the type of fire being fought. If you use the wrong type of extinguisher, you can endanger yourself and make the fire worse.

Multipurpose fire extinguishers marked ABC may be used on all three classes of fires.

Remember, in some cases it may be dangerous to use any type of extinguisher. For instance, pressurized extinguishing agent could spread a grease pan fire rather than put it out.

Extinguisher Sizes

Portable extinguishers are also rated for the size of fire they can handle. This rating will appear on the label – for example, 2A:10B:C. The larger the numbers, the larger the fire that the extinguisher can put out, but higher-rated models are often heavier. Make sure you can hold and operate the extinguisher before you buy it.

Installation and Maintenance

EXTINGUISHERS SHOULD BE installed in plain view, above the reach of children, near an escape route, and away from stoves and heating appliances.

Extinguishers require routine care. Read you operator’s manual to learn how to inspect your extinguisher. Follow manufacturer’s instructions on maintenance.

Rechargeable models must be serviced after every use. (Service companies are listed in the Yellow Pages under “Fire Extinguishers.”) Disposable fire extinguishers can be used only once and must be replaced after use.

Remember the Pass-Word

KEEP Your back to an unobstructed exit and stand six to eight feet away from the fire.

Follow the four-step PASS procedure.

PULL the pin: This unlocks the operating lever and allows you to discharge the extinguisher. Some extinguishers may have other lever-release mechanisms.

AIM low: Point the extinguisher nozzle (or hose) at the base of the fire.

SQUEEZE the lever above the handle: This discharges the extinguishing agent. Releasing the lever will stop the discharge. (Some extinguishers have a button instead of
a lever.)

SWEEP from side to side: Moving carefully toward the fire, keep the extinguisher aimed at the base of the fire and sweep back and forth until the flames appear to be out. Watch the fire area. If the fire reignites, repeat the process. *Always be sure the fire department inspects the fire site, even if you thing you’ve extinguished the fire.

Should you Fight the Fire?

BEFORE YOU BEGIN to fight a fire:

• Make sure everyone has left, or is leaving, the building.
• Make sure the fire department has been called (dial 911).
• Make sure the fire is confined to a small area and is not spreading.
• Be sure you have an unobstructed escape route to which the fire will not spread.
• Be sure you have read the instructions and that you know how to use the extinguisher.

It is reckless to fight a fire in any other circumstances. Instead, leave immediately and close off the area.

Dear Valued Citizen:

Please take a few moments to complete the self-inspection checklist listed on this page. While some items might not apply to your household, any items you answer "NO" could represent a potential hazard in your home that should be corrected. If you answer "YES" to all of the items, we congratulate you on your personal fire prevention efforts! Thank you for your time and for your interest in fire safety.

Craig Bellamy
Fire Official

Did You Know………

• most fire fatalities and injuries in the U.S. occur in the victim’s own home?
• two-thirds of all home-fire victims die of smoke inhalation, poisonous gases, or lack of oxygen; not severe burns?
• cooking is the leading cause of all residential fires and fire injuries?
• heating equipment is the second leading cause of residential fires?
• more than 40% of fatal home cooking fires occur while the victims are asleep?
• careless use of smoking materials is the leading cause of residential fires that result in death?

Survival Tips

1. Make sure your family has an escape plan. Contact the Fire Prevention office or your neighborhood fire station for more information on developing a plan.
2. Sleep with the bedroom door closed. Closed doors provide protection against heat and smoke.
3. Teach everyone in your household to recognize the sound of your smoke alarm.
4. Test doors before opening them. You can easily be overcome by heat, smoke or flames when you open a door to an area where a fire has spread.
5. Use windows as alternate exits.
6. Crawl low under smoke. During a fire, super heated air and toxic gases fill the room from the top down. This leaves a "safety zone" of breathable air about 12 to 24 inches above the floor.
7. Call 9-1-1. Unless you are trapped inside, it’s too dangerous to call from a burning home. Once you have escaped and reported to your meeting place, call 9-1-1 on a neighbor’s telephone.
8. If your clothes catch on fire: Stop, Drop, and Roll.

Learn Not To Burn! Fire Smart Equals Fire Safe!!!

Fire destroys more property and claims more lives annually than any natural disaster. It is also the most preventable disaster.

Please help us reduce the senseless loss of property and lives in our community by making a conscious effort to maintain a home free of fire hazards. Share this information with relatives and friends. Remember, fire prevention begins with education.

Should you have any questions regarding fire safety, or want more information on any of these topics, please call our Fire Prevention Division at (973) 543-7152

• Make certain your wood stove and heating system are always properly maintained
  and ready for extended use.
  • For wood-burning tips contact your local fireplace dealer.
  • For maintenance of your heating system contact your service person.
  • Protect your water pipes from freezing by planning ahead.
  • Turn off all outside faucets (preferably from an inside shut-off to
    each faucet). If no inside shut-off is provided, wrap the pipe with approved
    (UL) heating tape. You may also turn on any inside faucet, letting water
    drip slightly, allowing for expansion.
  • Make certain that all vents from the crawl space under the house are 
    closed or sealed to keep out cold air.

Note: Should pipes become frozen do not use torches or other
flame-producing equipment.
A hair dryer often will thaw pipes, as will the application of warm water. Pay particular
attention to the north and east sides of the house as they are vulnerable to freezing
due to prevailing winds.

• In the event a broken pipe occurs, plan ahead by locating the main shut-off
  to the house and be prepared with a proper-fitting wrench.
• PLAN AHEAD Broken water pipes need not occur if precautions
  are taken.

The fires resulting from improper installation could be avoided if home owners would just get the required building permit and have the installation inspected. Remember, every solid fuel appliance installation requires a permit, whether inside the city limits or outside. It is the responsibility of the home owner to make sure there is a permit issued. If the installer fails to obtain one, the home owner should see to it.

After the appliance is correctly installed and properly inspected, chimney abuse becomes the danger. Chimney abuse is strictly a user problem. Even the safest installation will cause a fire if the chimney is not properly maintained.

Chimneys fall into two categories; site-built (masonry) and factory-built (metal). Properly made, installed, and maintained, either type will provide many years of safe service. If not properly maintained, either kind becomes a time bomb, waiting for the moment when it will create a disaster.

What is the proper maintenance of a chimney? It begins with carefully selecting the kind of wood you will burn. The harder the wood, the smaller the creosote release into the chimney will be. Then curing that wood becomes important. Wood that is allowed to cure for three to six months after cutting and splitting will yield more heat and less creosote.

Maintaining proper flue temperatures is also a part of good chimney maintenance. Creosote condenses onto cold chimneys while properly heated chimneys will trap much less. So burn an open fire until good flue temperatures are achieved, then make sure the fire burns hot enough to maintain those temperatures.

Any chimney should be thoroughly cleaned at least once a year. Chimneys that get a lot of use will require more frequent cleaning. Remember, soot and creosote buildup in the chimney is what flue fires are made of. Keep it clean, and you have protected yourself from this danger.

As part of this chimney-cleaning process and following any chimney fire, the flue should be carefully inspected inside and out. Specialized equipment is now available which permits detailed internal inspection of the entire flue. This inspection can reveal damage that is not visible from the outside. The yellow pages list a number of companies (under “Chimney Cleaning”) that are equipped to provide this inspection.

Never use a damaged flue. If damage is present, your safety is at risk. Have the problem corrected before using the wood stove again! Remember, your life may depend on it!