Apartment Fire Safety

1
Apartment Fire Safety
Medford Fire Prevention Bureau
2
2009 Medford Structural Fire Statistics

• Structure Fires by Type
• 82 Residential
• 18 Commercial

3
2009 Medford Structural Fire Statistics

• Residential Structure Fires by Type
• 64 Single Family Residence
• 7 Duplex
• 19 Multi-Family

4
2009 Residential Fire Statistics

• Time of Alarm
• 9 between 1200 AM and 359 AM
• 6 between 400 AM and 759 AM
• 10 between 800 AM and 1159 AM
• 24 between 1200 PM and 359 PM
• 28 between 400 PM and 759 PM
• 23 between 800 PM and 1159 PM

5
2009 Residential Fire Statistics

• Areas of Origin
• 33 kitchens
• 6 common rooms (living room, den, family room)
• 6 exterior origins
• Causes
• 80 unintentional
• 10 intentional
• 8 undetermined
• 2 act of nature
• Initial Ignition Heat Sources
• 22 radiated/conducted heat from operating
  equipment
• 14 from powered equipment
• 13 heat from hot ember or ash

6
2009 Residential Fire Statistics

• Smoke Alarms
• 54 present and alerted the residents
• 31 did not alert or were not present

7
National Residential Fire Statistics-Primary
Victims

• Children
• 2,500 children aged 14 or younger were injured or
  killed in residential fires (2002)
• ½ under the age of 5 and 70 under the age of 10
• Older Adults
• 2,300 adults age 65 or older were injured or
  killed in residential fires (2002)
• 80 between ages 65-84
• 2.5 times more likely to die in a fire than the
  overall population

Source USFA
8
National Residential Fire Statistics-Primary
Victims

• Children
• Young children often hide during fires
• Young children may sleep through a sounding smoke
  alarm
• Older Adults
• Older adults may suffer from reduced sensory
  abilities such as smell, touch, vision, and
  hearing
• Inability to smell smoke
• Inability to feel if something is hot
• Inability to see fires or notice fire causes
• Inability to hear smoke alarms or fire sounds
• May suffer from disabilities
• Reduced reaction times

Source USFA
9
Cooking Fires

• Statistics
• Responsible annually for an average of
• 100,000 home fires
• 400 deaths
• 5,000 civilian injuries
• 200 million in property damage
• Primary cause-unattended cooking 

10
Cooking Safety

• Safety measures
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Keep combustible material and loose clothing away
  from open flames
• Keep the appliance and cooking area clean
• Use extra caution with cooking oils as they can
  ignite easily
• Always turn the pan handle sideways
•  

11
Cooking Fires

• Statistics
• Cooking is leading cause of burn injuries among
  older people
• Burns
• Treat a burn immediately
• Cool a burn with cool water, never ice
• Cover a burn with a clean, dry cloth or bandage
• Dont use ointment, spray, or butter
• If a burn is larger than your fist, get medical
  help.
• If you have questions about burn injuries, email
  the Oregon Burn Center at cryun_at_lhs.org.
• For life threatening emergencies, call 9-1-1

Source OSFM USFA
12
Portable Heater Fires

• Statistics
• Responsible annually for an average of
• 62,200 fires
• 670 deaths
• 1,550 civilian injuries
• 909 million in property damage
• Primary cause-combustibles too close

13
Portable Heater Safety

• Safety measures
• Keep heaters a minimum of 36 away from
  combustibles
• Plug directly into a wall outlet. Dont use an
  extension cord
• Use only heaters with built-in high temperature
  and tip-over shutoff features
• Do not use un-vented fuel-fired heaters indoors
• Do not hang combustible items to dry over a
  heater
• Turn off portable heaters when family members are
  sleeping or leave the house
• Keep heaters out of high traffic areas and exit
  paths

14
Candle Fires

• Statistics
• Responsible annually for an average of
• 23,600 home fires
• 165 deaths
• 1,525 civilian injuries
• 300 million in property damage
• Primary cause-unattended candles
•  

15
Candle Safety

• Safety measures
• Blow out candles before leaving the room
• Keep candles away from items that can burn
• Always use sturdy metal, glass or ceramic candle
  holders
• Place candles out of reach of small children and
  pets
•  

16
Electrical Fires

• Statistics
• Homes more than 40 years old are 3 times more
  likely to catch fire from electrical causes than
  homes 11-20 years old
• Safety measures
• Replace electrical cords that show signs of
  damage, and never coil or walk on cords
• Avoid using extension cords. Use a power strip
  with a built-in circuit breaker instead
• Avoid overloading circuits
• Have an electrician check your house if fuses
  blow or breakers trip frequently
• Have an electrician check your house if you
  frequently experience dimming of lighting
•  

Source USFA
17
Clothes Dryer Fires

• Statistics
• Responsible annually for an average of
• 15,500 home fires
• 10 deaths
• 310 injuries
• 84.4 million in property damage.
•  

18
Clothes Dryer Fires

• Safety measures
• Clean the lint screen before every use
• Clean out exhaust vents regularly and check for
  proper airflow
• Use a smooth metal exhaust vent (avoid using foil
  or plastic venting)
• Use a cool-down cycle to prevent the possibility
  of spontaneous ignition
• Do not dry clothing/fabric on which there is
  anything flammable (alcohol, cooking oils,
  gasoline, spot removers, dry-cleaning solvents,
  etc.)
• Cotton fabrics are susceptible to spontaneous
  ignition if they have interacted with oils even
  if they have been laundered with detergent. Any
  fabric that has been exposed to oils should be
  stored in a covered metal container.
•   

19
Smoking

• Statistics
• The leading cause of fire-related deaths
• Accounts for nearly 1/3 of fire deaths in adults
  over age 70
•  
• Safety measures
• Always discard smoldering and spent cigarettes
  properly
• Use large non-combustible deep and tip resistant
  ashtrays
• Never smoke in bed
• Never smoke while using oxygen. Warn visitors not
  to smoke near you.
• Douse cigarettes with water before throwing them
  in the trash
• Always keep matches/lighters out of reach of
  children
•   

20
Carbon Monoxide

• Statistics
• Responsible annually for an average of
• Over 400 deaths per year
• Over 20,000 emergency room visits
•  
• Safety measures
• Install a CO detector
• Never use portable fueled/unvented heaters in
  your home. These will cause a CO buildup and may
  also deplete the oxygen to dangerously low
  levels.
• Never use a gas oven to heat your home
• Never use charcoal or propane fueled barbeques
  indoors
• Never idle the car in the garage for extended
  periods of time or with the garage door closed
• Never use a generator in your home
• Have your chimney checked or cleaned every
  year. Chimneys blocked by debris can cause CO to
  build up inside your home or cabin.
• Have your fuel-fired appliances inspected by a
  trained technician for proper venting

21
Planning Ahead for Safety
Source (OFC 202)
22
Emergency Guide
408.9.1 Emergency guide. A fire emergency guide
shall be provided which describes the location,
function and use of fire protection equipment and
appliances accessible to residents, including
fire alarm systems, smoke alarms, and portable
fire extinguishers. The guide shall also include
an emergency evacuation plan for each dwelling
unit. 408.9.2 Maintenance. Emergency guides shall
be reviewed and approved.by the fire code
official. 408.9.3 Distribution. A copy of the
emergency guide shall be given to each tenant
prior to initial occupancy.
23
Fire Safety and Evacuation Plans
24
Emergency Evacuation Drills

• Purpose of Fire Drills
• To be ready should an occurrence happen,
  increasing the chanced of survival. A
  disorganized evacuation can lead to confusion,
  injury, death and property damage.
• When Required
• Group A quarterly for employees only
• Group B annually
• 500 or more occupants 100 above or below lowest
  level of exit discharge
• Group E monthly complete evacuation.
• Group I quarterly each shift for staff only.
• Group R1 quarterly each shift for staff only.
• Group R-2 (college and university) quarterly all
  occupants
• Group R-4 SR see IFC 408.1.2.
• High Rise annually employees only

Source (OFC 405)
25
Home Fire Escape Drills

• Plan Ahead and Practice!
• Establish a safe meeting place.
• Teach your children to crawl on the floor to
  avoid smoke and heat. Show them how to feel the
  door with the back of their hand and to not open
  the door if it is hot to the touch.
• Make sure you have two ways out of every sleeping
  room, and that the windows can be opened easily.
  If the primary route is blocked by smoke or fire,
  you may have to escape through a window.
• Conduct a fire drill at night to determine your
  childs response, and practice until it becomes
  routine.
• Practice home escape drills with your family
  monthly.
• Sleep with bedroom doors closed to provide a
  barrier of protection from smoke and heat
  spreading into your bedrooms.

26
How Will You React to a Fire?
27
What to Do in a Fire

• In case of fire, think RACE
• Rescue all persons in immediate area
• Alarm announce the fire- Pull alarm and dial
  911
• Confine the fire by closing doors
• Evacuate/Extinguish the fire if possible
• Do not
• Try to fight the fire
• Attempt to re-enter a burning home

Sources Oregon Fire Code, NFPA, OSHA, and
Numerous Business Emergency Plans.
28
What If I Am Unable to Get Out?

• Create an area of refuge for yourself
• Seal the room
• Use wet cloth to stuff around cracks in doors and
  seal up vents to protect against smoke
• Do not break the windows
• Flames and smoke can come back in from the
  outside. If you need air, open the window a crack
• Stay low under the smoke
• The freshest air is near the floor. Keep a wet
  cloth over your nose and mouth and breath through
  your nose only
• Signal for help
• Use the telephone, or hang something out the
  window

Sources Fire Safety for Older Persons, Seattle
Fire Department.
29
What about Elevators?

• Never use elevators in a fire emergency because
• Elevators often fail during a fire, trapping
  occupants
• Elevator shafts may fill with smoke
• The elevator needs to be available for the use of
  arriving firefighters

Sources Fire Safety for Older Persons, Seattle
Fire Department.
30
How do I Use a Fire Extinguisher?

• Proper extinguisher use, think PASS
• Pull trigger pin (Stand back several feet away
  from fire)
• Aim low, point the nozzle at the base of the fire
• Squeeze trigger
• Sweep from side to side until the fire appears to
  be out

31
Smoke Alarms are Essential

• Provides an early warning of a fire developing in
  your home
• Should be on every level of the home, in the
  immediate area outside of the sleeping rooms, and
  in every bedroom
• Should be tested monthly
• Properly placed and maintained smoke alarms
  increase your chances of surviving a fire by 50
• If you discover your child will not wake to a
  traditional sounding alarm, consider installing a
  personalized parent voice alarm  

32
Carbon Monoxide Alarms

• Are needed when you have fuel-fired appliances
• Provide an early warning of a Dangerous CO
  concentrations developing in your home
• According to Oregon Administrative Rules, should
  be located within each bedroom or within 15 feet
  outside of each bedroom door.  Bedrooms on
  separate floors in a structure containing two or
  more stories require separate carbon monoxide
  alarms.
• Should be installed according to manufacturers
  instructions

33
Landlord-Tenant Laws

• Smoke Alarms
• Landlord is required to provide working smoke
  alarm(s) when tenant moves
• Tenant is resposible to test and maintain smoke
  alarm(s) and to replace dead batteries
• Carbon Monoxide
• For Units containing or connected to CO source
• July 1, 2010
• Landlord is required to provide working CO
  alarm(s) when a landlord enters into a rental
  agreement for a dwelling unit subject to these
  rules on or after July 1, 2010.
• April 1, 2011
• Landlord is required to provide working CO
  alarm(s) to every dwelling unit by April 1, 2011.

34
What Can I Do to Help Make This Facility Safe?

• Be observant
• Plan ahead
• Know your exits
• Report hazards
• Get involved

35
Questions?