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Interior Safety
Residential Sprinkler Systems
A fire occurs in 1 out of 10 American homes every year. In wildland areas, the fire from the home may spread into the wildland. Residential fire sprinkler systems are a great asset to homeowners in the Wildland Urban Interface.
Homes in wildland area usually have a longer fire department response time. In a home with residential sprinklers installed, the fire will be controlled and often extinguished before fire crews arrive. A sprinkler system will reduce the heat and smoke that is generated during a fire thus allowing a safer environment for escape.
A sprinkler system can be designed for any type of water supply. Many homes built in wildland areas do not have a domestic water supply available. Water supply for homes usually come from a well. A water tank can be installed to supply the home.
Smoke Detectors
Lives can be saved when smoke detectors are properly installed and maintained.
Most areas require smoke detector installation for new structures.
Choice of Detectors
There are several types of smoke detectors available. Some run on batteries, some run on household current and others get their main power source form the household current with a battery back up in the event of a power failure.
There are several ways smoke detectors operate. Some use an "ionization" sensor that detects slow smoldering fires, some use a "photoelectric" sensor that detects flame. There are also combination detectors that use "ionization" and "photoelectric" sensors.
How Many
Minimum protection requires a smoke detector outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. Be sure everyone sleeping in your home can hear your smoke detector alarms with bedroom doors closed.
Smoke detectors are not recommended for kitchens, bathrooms, or garages where cooking fumes, steam, or exhaust could set off false alarms or for attic and unheated spaces, where humidity and temperature changes might affect a detector's operation.
Where to Install
Because smoke rises, mount detectors high on a wall or on the ceiling. Wall mounted units should be mounted 4 to 12 inches from the ceiling. Ceiling mounted units should be mounted at least 4 inches from the nearest wall.
Maintenance
Test your smoke detectors weekly and replace the batteries twice a year. Many battery powered smoke detectors "chirp" or give some type of audible signal when their battery power is low.
Clean your smoke detectors at least once a year. Dust and cobwebs can reduce a detector's sensitivity to smoke. The life expediency for any type of smoke detector is about 10 years. If you have smoke detectors that are older than 10 years they need to be replaced.
Portable Fire Extinguishers
Portable fire extinguishers are your best defense against a small fire. Fire extinguishers for home use are not intended to fight large or spreading fires.
Choosing a Fire extinguisher
All fire extinguishers are labeled for the classes of fire they are intended to put out. There are three classes of fires. All fire extinguishers are labeled using standard symbols for the class 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.
Class A: Ordinary combustibles such as wood, cloth, paper, rubber and many
plastics.
Class B: Flammable liquids such as gasoline, oil, grease, tar, oil based
paint, lacquer, and flammable gas.
Class C: Energized electrical equipment including wiring, fuse boxes, circuit
breakers, machinery, and appliances.
Extinguisher Size
Portable extinguishers are also rated for the size of fire they can handle. Normally,
an extinguisher that has a rating of 2A-10B:C on its label is recommended for
each floor level. The larger the number - the larger the fire that can be extinguished.
Higher rated models are often heavier. Make sure you can hold and operate the
extinguisher before you buy.
Installation / Maintenance Extinguishers should be installed in
plain view, above the reach of small children, near an escape route and away from
stoves and heating appliances. Extinguishers require routine care. Read you operator's
manual and ask your dealer how your extinguisher should be inspected and serviced.
Rechargeable models must be serviced after every use. (Service companies are listed
in they Yellow Pages under "Fire Extinguishers.") Disposable fire extinguishers
can only be used once and must be replaced after use.
Plan Your Escape
Smoke alarms
can cut your risk of dying in a home fire nearly in half, but you have to know
what to do when they go off.
Make a plan
Draw a floor plan
of your home, marking two ways out (including windows) of every room, and decide
on the best escape routes. Pick an outside meeting place, preferably in front
of your home and tell everyone to meet there after they've escaped, so you can
count heads and tell firefighters if anybody's trapped inside.
Practice Your Plan
Every household should have a fire escape plan, but practice is essential; there's
no time to lose in a fire emergency. Practice your escape plan at least twice
a year. Make your exit drills realistic. Pretend that some exits are blocked by
smoke or fire and practice using alternative escape routes.
Test Doors before Opening Them
Kneel or crouch and touch the door with the back of your hand. If
the door is warm, use another escape route. If it's completely cool, put your
shoulder against the door and open it slowly. Be prepared to slam it shut if there's
smoke or flame on the other side.
Crawl Low under Smoke
Heat
rises carrying smoke with it, so air will be cooler and cleaner near the floor
during a fire. If you run into smoke, try another escape route. If you must exit
through the smoke, crawl on your hands and knees and keep your head close to the
floor.
Stop Drop and Roll
If your cloths catch on fire "Stop Drop and Roll" make
sure you cover your face.
Get Out and Stay Out React immediately!
Do not try to rescue possessions or pets and never go back inside a burning building.
Call the fire department from a neighbor's phone, a portable phone, or call box
after you've escaped. When reporting the fire make sure you give your address,
name, closest cross street, and directions if you live in a difficult area to
find.
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