Brushing up on fire safety could save your life

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    Almost everyone knows the importance of having smoke detectors in their homes as a means to alert families in the event of a fire. But what people may not know, is how many smoke detectors are recommended for their homes.     According to Houlton Fire Chief Milton Cone, each level of a person’s home, including the basement, should be equipped with a functional smoke detector. Those detectors should be tested on a monthly basis,
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE — Josh Edgerton, middle, a seventh-grader from Houlton Junior High School, tries on the necessary gear a firefighter must wear before entering a burning building while touring the Houlton Fire Department Friday morning. Assisting Edgerton with the gear are Houlton Fire Chief Milton Cone, left, and fireman Daniel Norten.
    “A properly-working smoke detector cuts your risk of death in half should your home catch fire,” Cone said. “Additionally, we also stress the importance of a carbon monoxide detector in your home. Any appliance that burns fuel, or has an open flame, can emit carbon monoxide. Since it’s a colorless, odorless gas it could be in your building and you wouldn’t even know it.”
    Changing the batteries in detectors is encouraged twice a year, at the same time that people change their clocks. However, newer smoke detectors now come with a lithium-ion battery that cannot be replaced, which requires people to replace the detectors when the battery dies.
    “You should not have a smoke detector in your home that is more than 10 years old,” Cone said.
    With the winter heating season fast approaching, many families have already begun the process of winterizing their homes for upcoming cold weather. That process often entails wrapping drafty windows or the house foundation with plastic.
    Cone said, while that process can save on the energy bill, it could also cost people their lives.
    “Every room should have at least two means of escape,” Cone said. “This is the time when people are buttoning up their homes to make it warmer in the winter. You don’t want to cover up one of your means of egress from the home.”
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
CAMERA MAN — Sebastion Walton, left, uses a thermal imaging camera on classmate Nick Guy during Friday’s visit to the Houlton Fire Department. The two are seventh-graders at Houlton Junior High School.
    Cone offered the following safety tips to increase fire safety in your home:
    • Have – and practice – your home evacuation plan so that every member of the family knows where to go in the event of a fire. The home evacuation plan should contain a central meeting point outside of the home so that everyone knows where to meet and be accounted for. Those that would like the fire department’s input on their individual evacuation plan, should contact their local fire department for assistance.
    • If you are using an electric heater, the safest bet is to have that heater plugged directly into a surge protector. If an extension cord is needed, make sure it is sufficiently rated to handle the power drain by the heating unit.
    • Have your furnace, fireplace and chimney inspected and cleaned before using it for the first time on the season.
    • If you burn wood, make sure you have a bucket, with a lid, for your ashes.