Home Fire Safety

By Erby Crofutt, B4U Close Home Inspections www.b4uclose.com

Is your home as Fire Safe as you can ma= ke it?

The answers to these questions will help determine if your home is as safe as you can make it.

Do you have the right kind of Fire & Smoke Detectors

If your house has natural gas, propane or= oil service, or a fireplace/wood stove, do you have Carbon Monoxide Detectors?<= o:p>

Are the detectors in the right places?

Did you replace the detectors when you mo= ved into your home and at least every 10 years thereafter?

Do you test the detectors on a monthly ba= sis?

Have you replaced the detector batteries recently?

Do you have the right kind of Fire Extinguishers in the right places?

Do you have a fire escape plan and practi= ce it with your children?

Do you have a fireproof container for all your really important documents?
(Birth Certificates, Stocks, Wills, that precious drawing from grade school, etc)<= /span>

= Do y= ou have a residential fire sprinkler system in your house?
(<= /b>These are mostly found in newer homes. They typically cost $0= .60 to $1.00 a square foot in new homes (about the same as a carpet replacement) a= nd can greatly reduce both fire and water damage. Only heads exposed to the fire sta= rt spraying water. The 15—18 gallons a minute from the sprinkler system = are significantly less than the 75—250 gallons from the firefighter’= ;s high pressure hose! Costs to retrofit a home with a sprinkler system will be higher.)

Smoke Detectors:

There are three bas= ic types of residential smoke detectors, all with different means for detecting smoke and fire, different t= ypes of fires they detect best, and different replacement reasons & needs. <= o:p>

      &nb= sp;     Ionization Smoke Detectors powered by batteries are the most common kind and economically available at most local hardware and discount stores. They can be mounted easily in just= about any location. They use a small radioactive source (not harmful to humans) to cause the air inside the detector to be capable of carrying electric current. As particle= s of smoke enter the detector they block the flow of electricity. Low electrical current causes the = alarm to sound. These detectors wor= k best on flaming type fires (wood, paper, etc) and react a little slower on smoldering fires (mattresses, couches, etc). Batteries need to be replaced occasionally. If your detector starts making a chirping sound every so often, you need to change the battery. A general recommenda= tion is to change these batteries every six months, usually timed to a major eve= nt like springing forward to daylight savings time or falling back to normal time. (Some newer smoke detectors come with = a 10 year Lithium battery that eliminates the need to change batteries.) Remember battery powered detectors operate even during power failure= s.

      &nb= sp;     Photoelectric Smoke Detectors use a light sensitive photocell to detect smoke inside the detector. They usually requir= e a connection to an electrical supply but are also available with a battery backup.   A light bulb pu= ts out a beam of light. The photocel= l is hidden from direct exposure to the light beam. Smoke entering the detector causes= the light beam to be reflected in several directions. The photo cell detects the reflect= ed light and causes the alarm to go off. These detectors work best on smoldering fires and react a little slo= wer on flaming type fires. The li= ght bulbs need replacement every few years.

      &nb= sp;     Thermal Detectors, usually requiring a connection to an electrical supply, react to he= at rather than smoke. A fire must raise the heat level near the detector to cause the alarm to go off. This type of detector is mostly us= ed in dusty, dirty environments usually found in industrial and commercial applications. This is the typ= e of detector that most fire sprinkler heads use to detect heat, pop, and start spraying water. This detector= would be good near a cooking stove where an ionization or photoelectric smoke detector might cause false alarms.

Where Should You Put Smoke Detectors?

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends smoke detect= ors in every room; unfortunately that doesn’t fit everyone’s budget abilities.

In a hallway near several bedrooms, or even in each bedroom, is the most important placement as most fires occur during sleeping hours.

In the basement, preferably on the ceiling near the basement stairs.

In the garage,= over the door to the house, is a needed location because of all the combustible materials we store there.

If your house has more than one level, there should be at least one detector on each level.

Put the detectors on the ceiling or on the wall with the top of the detector between six to twelve inches from the ceiling.

DO NOT put detectors on walls or ceilings within six inches of the ceiling/wa= ll corner. There is very little circulation within this dead area.

DO NOT put them near heating and air conditioning supply & return vents.

Why should you replace your smoke detectors every 10 years?

The NFPA recommends, and some cities Fire Codes require, that smoke detectors be tested at least monthly and replaced when they fail to respond= or every 10 years maximum. In addition, most manufacturers now mark their detectors for a maximum life of= 10 years.

Why do they need to be replaced every 10 years?

10 y= ears is a somewhat arbitrary figure, developed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) but, as with any equipment you buy (TVs, VCRs, etc), parts start breaking and failing as the equipment ages. This includes smoke detectors. Sometimes stuff ju= st breaks without us noticing (in the case of smoke detectors, it’s sometimes to late). The detection chamber gets clogged= with dust & other airborne debris. In addition, as detectors age the sensitivity settings tend to drift toward being more sensitive causing more false alarms and people tend to di= sconnect the power supply on those detectors. = A 1994 CPSC study found that sixty percent of detector failures were caused by the power supply (electricity or batteries) intentionally being removed due to problems with false alarms.= Fifty percent of the failed detectors were more than 10 years old.   The fact that some older det= ectors were made to be more sensitive also resulted in their disconnection from po= wer.

Always replace= your detectors whenever any of the following occur.

The detector fails to respond to the mont= hly test and it has power.

The detector has gotten wet, been painted= , or has other physical damage.

The detector has been exposed to a fire or large amounts of grease (kitchens!) <= /o:p>

The detector causes several false ala= rms without apparent cause.

When you move i= nto a used home, you have no way of knowing how old the detectors are. B Safe—B Sure—B4U Close. Replace them when you = move in.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detectors

Carbon Monoxide kills silently and sneakily. It is a colorless, odorless gas that is a byproduct of fossil fuel burning. It can be generated by wood stoves, fireplaces, appliances that use natural gas, propane or oil such as furnace= s, space heaters, dryers, kitchen ranges, or other open flame appliances. Normally the gases generated by bu= rning are vented safely outside the house, however blocked vents or not enough ox= ygen to the burners can quickly cause elevated levels of CO.

The best defense is a good offense.=

Chec= k your fireplaces & wood stoves for closed or blocked flues.

Have= a qualified chimney sweep (find one at www.csia.org) inspect chimneys and vents yearly f= or cracks, blockages (e.g., bird's nests, twigs, old mortar), corrosion or hol= es.

If you wa= nt to enclose a furnace or water heater in a smaller room make sure there is plenty of combustion air available.

Have a Heating & Air Conditioning contractor check your fuel burning appliance= s, before cold weather sets in. = Make sure they are in working order.

If you have a downdraft cooktop, such as a Jenn-Aire, or a powerful kitchen ventilation fan over= the stove, make sure make sure it doesn’t pull fumes back down your wood stove flue or chimney.

Don&= #8217;t use gas or propane cooking stoves or ovens to heat your home.

Don&= #8217;t use barbecue grills inside the garage or house. Not even charcoal grills.

Open= your garage door before starting the car in the garage. Back the car out of the garage rig= ht away and close the door. Not = doing so can draw fumes into the house. Nor should you use a remote starter if the car is in the garage.

Don&= #8217;t run gasoline engines in a garage or house.

Don&= #8217;t use a kerosene fueled space heater in a garage or house. If you absolutely have to, make su= re there is plenty of ventilation and combustion air by opening windows or doors. When you have to put m= ore fuel in the heater, cool it down first and take it outside to refuel. =

Clean the ductwork for the gas clothes dr= yer regularly. Also check it for blockage by snow, plants or lint.

CO is sneaky. CO hurts you by ra= pidly accumulating in the blood stream which depletes the bloods ability to carry oxygen throughout the body. E= ven at low levels, carbon monoxide can cause serious health problems.

Some of the symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to those of the flu, i.e. headaches, nausea, fatigue, dizzy spells, etc. If you may have been exposed to CO= and feel like the flu bug bit you, you should also ask your doctor to check you= for CO poisoning.

Battery powered and electrically connected CO detectors are available that can detect CO at lev= els as low as .01 percent.

Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations in placing & testing CO detectors. They are generally placed near sleeping areas and the home’s furnace.<= /p>

Most manufacturers recommend testing CO Detectors weekly and replacing them every five years.= Just like smoke detectors, they wear out and fail.

How Should You Respond to a CO Alarm?

DO N= OT IGNORE the CO Detector’s alarm if it sounds. CO Detectors should s= ound an alarm before a healthy adult feels any effects from CO. Treat each alarm seriously.

Get everyone, including pets, out of the house. Count heads to make sure everyone = is out.

If f= lu like symptoms are present, call 911. If there are no health problems ca= ll your heating contractor, gas company or fire department to have your house tested.

DO N= OT ventilate your home, reset the CO detect= or, or turn off fuel burning appliances unless it s an apartment, duplex or oth= er multifamily type home. If it = is, the safety of your neighbors is more important than finding the CO source.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> (Many CO alarms have been designated false alarms beca= use the homeowner ventilated the home and turned off the fuel burning equipment before the source could be traced.)

DO N= OT go back in th= e home until the testing technician tells you that it is safe to do so.=

If you need a CO Detector and you have it, you’= ll be glad you had it.

If y= ou need a CO Detector and don’t have it, you may never know the difference, b= ut your relatives will!

Fire Extinguishers

Neither one extinguisher nor one type of extinguisher is adequate to protect your home. In a three bedroom home with a basement and a garage, I recommend that you have at lea= st four extinguishers.

One Class B extinguisher (meant for grease, gas & other flammable liquids) in the kitchen.
Don’= ;t keep it to close to the stove. You don’t want to reach into a fire to get the extinguisher.

One Class A extinguisher (meant for wood, cloth, paper, plastics, etc) in the garage.<= /p>
One Class A extinguisher near the bedrooms.<= /span>

One Class A extinguisher in the basement.

Only try to fight minor blazes. If it becomes a serious fire, GET OUT! Call 911 from a neighbor’s hou= se.

Fire Escape Plan<= /p>
Draw= your homes floor plan being sure to include all doors and windows.

Dete= rmine at least two exits from every room.

Make= sure every person living in the home is familiar with the fire escape plan.=

Desi= gnate a meeting place outside the house so you can easily determine that everybody made it out. (Some mommies, daddies & firefight= ers have been seriously injured or killed trying to get back in to a house to g= et a child who was already out of the house.)

Place fire ladders in rooms that are to far above ground to jump.

Practice = your fire escape plan at least once a year.

B Safe—B Sure—B4U Close. <= /span>Plan for your family’s fire safety.

This information = is my opinion based on my research and education. It is provided for general informa= tion purposes only. Any actions yo= u take based on this information is your responsibility= . I suggest that you consult a speci= alist in the particular field to determine the best practices in your particular situation.

<= /span>

Find your Home Inspector at:

WWW.KREIA.ORG (502)-412-9699
WWW.NACHI.ORG   (800)-448-3942

WWW.FindAnIns= pector.us

Erby Crofutt owns B4U Close Ho= me Inspections (WWW.B4UClose.com ) in= Georgetown, KY, a= nd is a member of the Board of Directors of the Kentucky Real Estate Inspection Association. (KREIA). He conducts Home Inspections in Ce= ntral, Northern, and Eastern Kentucky.

<= /o:p>

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