Preventing Fires

Facts About Residential Fires In Alberta

Residential fires cause approximately $51 million worth of damage every year in Alberta.
Out of all the fire deaths in the province, 65% were from residential fires.
Careless cooking is the number one cause of residential fires.
Cooking, candles and smoking, the top three causes of residential fires are responsible for 59% of the home fires in Alberta in 1999, and 54% of total dollar value lost.
Arson accounts for more fires in Edmonton (16%) than in Calgary (10%), whereas smoking causes more fires in Calgary (21%) than in Edmonton (11%).
In Calgary and Edmonton, fires caused by candles account for the largest dollar value lost.
•$2.7 million in Calgary
•$2 million in Edmonton
Forty-three percent of the homes that had fires during 1999 had no smoke detectors.
Seventy-five percent of deaths pertaining to fires are the result of smoke inhalation.

The cause and severity of fires are often a direct result of people being careless. The top three causes of residential fires (cooking, candles and smoking) are all preventable. These fires are typically the result of a person being distracted or not exercising good judgment.

Real life examples of careless behavior:

An individual was heating a baby bottle in a pot on the stove. Leaving the kitchen to attend to a baby, the water boiled dry and caused a fire that destroyed the kitchen and caused extensive smoke damage. Approximate loss $100,000.
One person tried to dispose of old magazines by burning them in a fireplace. This attempt was unsuccessful, so the person moved the magazines to the garage and added gasoline. The result was an out of control fire that burned down the entire house. A family pet was also lost in the fire. Approximate loss $250,000.
An individual was renovating a house and decided to complete the wiring without professional help. The wires arced and a fire ensued causing $350,000 in damage.
An individual left home with chicken noodle soup cooking on the stove. A fire ensued resulting in fire, smoke and grease damage throughout the condominium. Approximate loss $44,000.

How can you prevent fires?

Always have a fire extinguisher near the kitchen. Keep it 10 feet away from the stove on the exit side of the kitchen.
Never pour water on a grease fire; turn off the stove and cover the pan with a lid, or close the oven door.
Don't store items on the stovetop, as they could catch fire.
Don't wear loose clothes while cooking. An electrical coil on the stove reaches a temperature of 800 degrees and a gas flame goes over 1,000 degrees. A dishtowel, potholder or a loose sleeve can catch fire at 400 degrees.
Clean the exhaust hood and duct over the stove regularly.

Install smoke detectors on every level of your home and outside of sleeping areas.
Test every detector at least once a month. [See the instruction book for the location of the test button.]
Replace batteries at least once a year, or more often if the detector makes a chirping sound.

Develop an exit plan, and then practice it with yearly fire drills.
Create a floor plan of your home showing at least two ways out of each room.
Sleep with the bedroom door closed. In the event of fire, it helps to hold back heat and smoke. But if a door feels hot, do not open it; escape through another door or window.
Adopt a safe location where everyone can gather for a head count; for example, a large tree or lamppost across the street.
Call 911 from another location. Make certain that no one goes back inside the burning building.

Install and maintain heating equipment correctly. Have your furnace inspected by a professional prior to the start of every heating season.
Don't store newspapers, rags, or other combustible materials near a furnace, hot water heater, space heater, etc.
Don't leave space heaters operating when you're not in the room.
Don't use extension cords with electrical space heaters. The high amount of current they require could melt the cord and start a fire.

Avoid using extension cords that are frayed or worn. Do not run it under a rug or twist it around a nail or hook.
Avoid overloading a socket with "octopus" outlets extensions that are used to accommodate several plugs.
Ensure that light bulb wattage is appropriate for the fixture, by checking label inside each fixture that tells the maximum wattage.
Be sure all electrical equipment bears the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) label.