2021-09-22

Warm up to these fire safety tips

Everyone enjoys a campfire or just sitting beside a woodstove and watching the flames. My Cape Breton grandmother had a coal-fired kitchen range that heated her big old house better than some modern systems would.

Her generation was familiar with dealing with the fire in the stove; it was part of her everyday life, she knew how to tend it and there never seemed to be a safety issue. Coal stoves were great, but they are a thing of the past.

My own 21st century house is highly insulated and draft proof, with only small electric baseboard heaters controlled by electronic thermostats that maintain the temperature within a half-degree of where I like it. However, it also has a propane "woodstove" as a backup heat source, so it's not completely fire hazard-free.

Fire safety week, which starts October 3, has me thinking of all the potential fire hazards that we live with in and around our homes. My knowledge of fire prevention is through my training as a safety professional, but I'm not an expert. Luckily, I know someone who is. Tim Van Veen is the fire chief of the Scotsburn Volunteer Fire Department. I asked him for some thoughts on home fire safety. Here are suggestions from each of us about potential fire hazards in the home.

Basement

Your electrical panel should have its face plate intact, have no exposed wiring and be uncluttered for quick access. Furnaces should have annual maintenance (which will also cover oil tank or propane tank inspection) and should have a large area of clear space around them.

Don't store gasoline containers or propane barbeque tanks inside. Locking them in your outside garbage bin, away from your house, is a good idea. Basement doors should be clear and easy to open. In the laundry room, make sure your drier vent is clean and never leave your home with the drier running; the drive belt may slip, overheat and catch fire.

De-clutter your basement by getting rid of paper, old clothing, wood, etc. If it's not there, it won't burn.

Kitchen

Always stay in the kitchen when using a stove top and don't leave your home when using the oven. Fires can start and be out of control in seconds. If your steak catches fire on the stove, turn off the heat and cover it with a large pot cover; and have a large pot cover) handy for this.

Think twice before deep frying; a small amount of grease on a heating element will start a large fire. Baking soda will smother a fire. Don't use baking powder to extinguish a fire, it will burn. Never use water on a grease fire, it will spread the fire; use your large pot cover or baking soda.

Always keep appliance electrical cords tucked to the back of counter tops and out of reach of small children, who may pull on them.

Living room/family room

Keep electric baseboards clear with air space above and in front of each one. If you have a woodstove, only burn seasoned wood, and never use liquid fuels to start it; they are not charcoal barbeques.

Woodstoves must be installed to WETT requirements (double-walled piping, proper spacing, etc.). Consider giving 2.7-kilogram (six-pound) ABC-type fire extinguishers as gifts to your friends who have woodstoves. This size is big enough to sit beside the stove without needing a mounting bracket.

When using extension cords, never plug a power bar into another power bar; this can potentially overload and overheat the circuit. Portable electric heaters should only be setup at floor level, in a clear, unobstructed area where the cord is not a trip hazard. Plug them directly into the outlet, not into an extension cord. Pets love to sit right in front of those heaters, so keep that in mind when using them.

Hallway/ bedroom

My house has wired-in smoke detectors, but I also have a battery-powered smoke detector in the hall. Smoke is a silent killer, so if you keep your bedroom door closed when sleeping, the hallway detector will wake you before you are exposed to the toxic gases. I also have an extra smoke detector in the bedroom for added protection (another good gift idea).

Have an escape plan and review it with your family. If you have bedrooms on an upper floor, your escape route is probably a window, so consider buying a fire escape ladder for yourself, or give one as a gift. They are less than $100. Have a carbon monoxide gas detector. They're not needed for homes with only electric heat, but nice to have. Mount it on a wall near the sleeping area, at about 1.5 metres above floor level.

Outside the house

Tim recommends keeping mulch or wood chips away from the house. Their moisture and internal heating can spontaneously catch fire. Keep rain gutters clear for the same reason; roofs can get very hot.

From my experience, having a garden hose that you can easily attach and use is a good idea in case of grass fires. Grass fires are a common seasonal thing in some areas of our province. Speaking of grass fires, I once saw a house that was saved by wetting down a picket fence in the back yard. The fence itself needed repairs and paint, but it did the job and paid for itself that day.

If you live in a wooded area, as I do, consider trimming back tree branches and low bushes around your home. This will reduce the "fire load," which is the material that can burn, and it may save your home in a forest fire.

If you have a woodstove clean out your chimney flue at least annually. Depending on your situation, you may be able to do this yourself with flexible fibreglass poles at the flue clean out, which is located outside at ground level in many new homes. It's a good idea to check your flue at the end of summer before heating season, in case the critters have decided to move there.

Outdoor burning/barbeques

Know and follow local regulations for out burning and fire pits/ chimneys. Use common sense and don't smoke out the neighbours. Never leave a fire unattended and make sure it's put out completely when you're done. For propane barbeques, check the hose connection for leaks (smell and listen for leaks and look for frost on the line) and keep the top up when starting to prevent an explosion. If it doesn't start right away, turn it off, wait for the gas to clear, then try again. For charcoal barbeques, never add more fuel after lighting or you may set yourself, your deck and your house on fire.

Identify your location

Finally, Tim recommends posting your civic address number on your home, or at the end of your driveway, if you live in a rural area so that the fire department can find you in an emergency.

James Golemiec is a Canadian Registered Safety Professional with over nine years' experience coordinating and managing complex safety systems at manufacturing facilities and performing inspections on project job sites across Canada.