By Barbara Scott
Staff Writer
As fall and winter are approaching Caribou Fire Chief Roy Woods encourages everyone to use common sense in staying safe through these seasons. The following are tips from the chief to keep you, your families and your property safe in the coming months.
• Candles — “Although many people backed off burning candles frequently and started using electric ones there are still those who try to conserve energy and have gone back to using regular candles but it is dangerous to have these burning around children or left unattended in a home,” Woods stated. “We had a house fire one time and it was totally involved when we arrived, after a while I spoke with the homeowner who was not at home at the time of the fire, who assured me that everything had been turned off prior to leaving, although there was a candle left lighted on the table because it made things smell good. “I asked, ‘how does it smell now?’ — the home was a pile of ashes.” Woods also said that, believe it or not, there are children who are allowed to have candles burning in their bedrooms, where is the common sense in that?
• Pellet stoves — “Pellet stoves are a good supplement to home heating, said Woods, “if the homeowner follows the manufacturer’s instruction 100 percent. These stoves should be shut down and cleaned weekly. The sawdust from the pellets when burned can go into the auger and back into the bin where the pellets are stored.” Woods stated that pellet stoves are not intended to be used as a primary source to heat an entire house 24/7 and, if used in this way, property owners will have problems.
Woods also reminds pellet stove owners that when vacuuming out the pellet residue, only shop vacs should be used and the ashes need to be emptied into a metal container outside, at no time should the container be left inside. Also, the vacuum should never be stored in a closet immediately after cleaning a stove.
• Fire extinguishers — Fire extinguishers are intended for small fires only such as a stove top or trash can, they should never be used to try and extinguish anything bigger. “If it is bigger, get out and call 9 -1-1,” said Chief Woods. “If an individual tries to put out a big fire with an extinguisher, it causes a time delay in getting the firefighters on the road.”
Everybody should have at least one extinguisher and it does need to be located where it can be seen by everyone, not mounted in a closet somewhere.
• Smoke/carbon monoxide detectors — “Legally, you cannot rent or sell a home that does not have a smoke detector hard-wired installed and with a battery backup,” said Chief Woods. “There needs to be one within 20 feet of a kitchen and one outside of every bedroom and any device that is more than 10 years old needs to be replaced. Smoke detectors make very nice gifts,” he added. Combination smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are also available.
“We have been extremely fortunate that during the past years we have had no fire deaths,” said Chief Woods, “ and I can’t prove it but I firmly believe that at least part of the reason is due to our ‘Learn Not To Burn’ program which is coordinated through our firefighters with local elementary schools. Kids don’t lie and when they respond on their questionnaire that there aren’t proper smoke detectors in their home, ‘Chief Woods personally goes to their home and will install one.’”
“I give great credit to the teachers for working with our firefighters regarding this program, this is not something they have to do,” said Chief Woods.
Anyone wishing to have a home fire safety inspection can contact the Caribou Fire Department and schedule an appointment.
