Fire Hazards: Prevention and Protection

The holidays are rapidly approaching. It’s the time of year for social outings with friends and family. It’s important to feel comfortable about the security of your home, no matter if you are hosting guests at your house, or leaving your home unoccupied for a period of time.

Fire kills an estimated 4,000 Americans annually. Property damage from fire costs at least $11 billion yearly. And most deaths are the result of inhaling poisonous gases or smoke, not from the flames. As home inspectors, we’ve compiled some tips for you that will help you limit the risk in your home.

Potential Fire Issue #1: Clothes Dryer Vents. Did you know that one of the largest percentage of home fires in the U.S. is actually caused by lint in clothes dryer vents? Residential clothes dryers use two principal sources to generate heat; either electricity or some form of gas. The combustion process produces heat and the heat is warm enough to burn lint that is collected in clothes vents, especially if the vents haven’t been cleaned for a long time.

Tip: Make sure that you clean your dryer’s lint filter AFTER EVERY LOAD. Staying on top of your filter will help ensure that excess lint doesn’t travel into the dryer vent chamber and end up in the dryer vent. Excess lint can easily catch on fire if it ends up in the wrong place. Use a flexible clothes dryer vent brush to clean lint out of the vent at least once or twice a year. And make sure that your dryer vents to the outside, not your attic, garage or other open space in the home. The combustion process loves oxygen; a fire that is started in a garage or attic will move quickly to the home’s structure.

Potential Fire Issue #2: Inoperable or Non-Existent Smoke Detectors. Smoke detectors are one of the key safety components of any home. In a Johns Hopkins University study funded by the United States Fire Administration it was determined that 75 percent of residential fire deaths and 84 percent of residential fire injuries could have been prevented by smoke detectors. Detectors should be located on each living level of the home and in every bedroom. In bedrooms, if you locate a detector on the ceiling it should be at least 18 inches away from dead air space near walls and corners. If you locate it on a wall, place it 6-12 inches below the ceiling and away from corners.

Tip: Smoke detectors can be battery-operated, hard-wired, or a combination. Testing smoke detectors monthly and changing battery operated detectors at least twice annually is recommended to ensure safe operation. One of the easiest ways to remember to change batteries is to do it when you change your clocks, once in the fall and once in the spring.

Potential Fire Issue #3: Lack of planning. Very few families ever plan their escape route in the event of a fire. If you have pets or small children, how will you get them out?
A better idea is to practice fire drills with your family. Designate a place for everyone to meet outside the home such as the mailbox, a special tree or the apron of the driveway. Then plan an actual drill, teach everyone how to respond and let it happen as though it is a real emergency. Then, if there is a real fire and the house is smoke-filled, nobody will get hurt returning to the home to look for someone that has already gotten out. The National Fire Protection Association indicates that many parents die every year returning to homes to find their children, and the children are already outside the home. The problem is that in all the confusion, nobody knows exactly where the children are located! If you have a multi-story home, invest in an approved fire ladder of proper length so that you can escape from the upstairs, as your pathway to the lower level may be completely blocked.

Potential Fire Issue #4: Christmas trees and Christmas tree lights. Natural Christmas trees are most often ponderosa fir. As the tree ages after being cut, the wood becomes less and less absorptive and continues to dry out. The drier the wood is, the more likely it is to burn.

Tip: Be certain to keep your tree located AWAY from your fireplace. Use only UL-approved lights and cords, and monitor the lights and cords for signs of excessive heat, cuts, open wires and other defects. Make sure your lights are not sitting against flammable materials such as curtains.

Potential Fire Issue #5: Open incandescent bulbs in closets. Every year homes are burned as a result of a seemingly innocent open incandescent bulb in a closet. Often, these bulbs
are attached to their own switch. Once the switch is turned on, the bulb stays on and heats up and is often forgotten because it is in a closet. The outside of the bulb can easily reach temperatures hot enough to ignite flammables such as boxes, tissue paper, sweaters, shirts, etc.

Tip: Replace the bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, cover the bulb with an approved fixture or replace the fixture with a fluorescent fixture. All of these options will reduce the potential for fire.

Potential Fire Issue #6: Flammable materials inside a garage. Combustible materials such as lighter fluid, paint soaked rags, oil-soaked rags, gasoline in unapproved containers, etc. should not be kept in the garage. A garage houses automobiles, water heaters, furnaces, etc. All of these products involve a combustion process and accelerate the risk of flammable materials.

Tip: Store chemicals in approved containers. Throw away chemical-soaked rags. Keep materials away from water heaters, electric power sources such as electric service panels, open receptacles, etc.

Potential Fire Issue #7: Garages without approved self-closing fire doors leading to the house. Fire doors are typically made of solid wood or metal and normally manufactured to withstand a fire for 30-45 minutes. The door’s self-closing mechanism helps ensure that the door will protect the home from the transmission of fire into the living space. Self-closing mechanisms are designed so that the door closes on its own.

Tip: Make sure you have an approved fire door that is self-closing leading to your home’s interior space. If the door needs adjustment, ask the neighborhood hardware store how to do it or call a qualified handyperson to make the repair.