Safety Source

Remembering When featured on radio show for older adults

Senior Moments Radio is a nationally syndicated program about care and services for older adults. Geoff Scott, “The Senior Bodyguard,” and co-host Cheryl Hartman interview guests on a broad range of topics, from how to avoid scams to pet therapy for older adults. I was asked to join in on their discussion the day the topic was fire and fall safety. My interview centered on Remembering When.

The co-hosts had a light-hearted but serious approach, peppering the hour-long show with jokes and self-deprecating banter, but also giving me the opportunity to talk at length about NFPA’s messaging and Remembering When’s eight fire prevention and eight fall prevention behaviors. At the end of the show, Geoff and Cheryl thanked me and said that they had learned a few things they didn’t know about fire and fall safety, too.

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Fall safety and high jinks make the point on TV show

Keep older adults in mind this National Electrical Safety Month

Guest post by Brett Brenner, ESFI

Although electrical hazards threaten the public at large, older adults are burdened with the gravest risk.  Adults over the age of 65 are more than twice as likely to die from a house fire as the general population, and this risk increases with age.  Those 75 years of age and over are challenged with a risk that is 2.8 times higher, and adults over 85 are at a staggering risk that is 3.7 times higher.  As baby boomers enter retirement age, it is predicted that the percentage of older Americans will increase significantly, thus making a corresponding increase in fire deaths and injuries among older adults probable.

Electrical failures are a leading cause of home fires every year, and electrical distribution and lighting equipment fires have been shown to increase in frequency with increasing dwelling age.   Homes with aging electrical systems are at a heightened risk for electrical fires, posing a serious risk for older adults who have remained in the same home for an extended period of time.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, half of the homes in use in the United States were built before 1973, which is long before many of the electronics and appliances we use today were even invented. Unfortunately, our increased demands for energy can overburden an older home’s electrical system causing fires or electrocutions. 

Many home electrical fires can be prevented by using more up-to-date technology and by recognizing warning signs your home may be showing.  Share these critical safety tips with your older loved ones, while also making sure you follow them in your own home:

• Regularly check all cords, outlets, switches, and appliances for signs of damage or wear.
• Use extension cords only temporarily.
• Be sure that outlets that are not overloaded with too many devices.  They can overheat and start a fire.
• Look and listen for warning signs of an electrical problem such as outlets and switches that are warm, or make crackling, sizzling or buzzing sounds. 
• Always replace fuses or circuit breakers with the correct size and amperage. And make sure all circuits are labeled correctly.
• Consider having your breakers upgraded to state-of-the-art AFCI circuit breakers. Keep the electrical panel accessible so you can quickly shut off power in an emergency.
• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home. Place alarms inside each bedroom and outside each sleeping area. Test them once a month, change the batteries at least once a year, and replace the alarm itself every ten years.

These safety tips are part of ESFI’s National Electrical Safety Month campaign, “Electrical Safety for All Ages.”   For more information on National Electrical Safety Month and for ESFI’s complete “Home Fire Safety for Older Adults” program, visit www.esfi.org.  

Mother's Day gift...the fire safe way

I was looking for some Mother's Day projects for sparky.org  when I came across this one. Yikes. I found it on Pinterest, so keep in mind that it is out of context. It is just a picture with no explanation. I am hoping that this is geared towards adults giving this to their mothers.  Never the less, putting a lit candle on a rug next to curtains is not a good idea.

 The sentiment is sweet, and the words are a wonderful message to mom, but let's throw some fire safety into it. If you are an adult, and you are giving this gift to your mom, remember candles are open flames and they can easily ignite anything that can burn. Keep candles at least 12 inches away from anything that can burn. When you wrap the candle and matches, include this tip sheet on candle safety for mom.
 
As a child's project, get a flameless candle (don't have children give matches) and include the same great message. I bought some battery-operated flameless candles from Target recently. They are vanilla scented and have a built-in timer so they turn off after four hours.

This is a great alternative to the "real" candle…and much safer. Check back in a few days for some great Mother's Day ideas on Sparky.org.

NFPA Public Education at FDIC 2013

Over 33,000 firefighters gathered at the Fire Department Instructors Conference 2013 (FDIC) that took place in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the NFPA Public Education division was present. I had the opportunity to staff the exhibit this year with our Central Region Public Education Advisor, Meredith Hawes, and promote all of the wonderful and free materials the NFPA Public Education division develops. It was such a great experience to meet people from all over the country whose passion was to teach and promote fire safety.

Visit NFPA's Safety Information section to take a look at what educational materials and resources NFPA has available.  

Safety tips help us form good habits

I got a frantic phone call from my fiancé early one recent Sunday morning. He was at the airport about to board a plane for a five-day business trip to another part of the country, and he couldn’t remember if he’d turned his oven off. I knew what was coming next, so I braced myself. He wondered if I would drive to his home and check the oven for him. He and I are a good 40 minutes apart door-to-door on a good day when there’s no traffic. I estimated that I would lose a large chunk of a day that I’d already jam packed with errands and appointments. During the silence on my end of the line he added, “It would really mean a lot to me if you would do this.”

Once I exhaled, I gave him a cheery, “Yes, dear,” and hopped into my car. When I got to his home, all was well. The oven was off. But the incident made me think that it would be a good idea to review with him NFPA’s safety tips, in particular our cooking safety information.

I didn’t hit traffic on the way back home and was able to complete most of the tasks on my to-do list that day. I’m going to hope that in the future when my fiancé leaves the house, he’ll already know the oven is off because he’ll be following our safety tips while he’s cooking.

A communication plan is an important part of disaster preparedness

Monday was a very sad day for the United States as we experienced an attack on the world’s oldest annual marathon. The event attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators each year as they cheer for the runners along the entire 26.2 miles. The 117th  running of the Boston Marathon will be remembered.

The disaster on Monday made me think of the importance of emergency planning. Disasters can be natural or the result of human actions – intentional or unintentional. Communication is important. Family members and friends can become separated during an emergency. Always have a plan how to reach each other. Remember, cell phones may not work in a disaster as was experienced on Monday. Have an out-of-area contact (relative or friend) who can help coordinate locations and information. Be sure to include children in the plan and make sure they know the phone number of the out-of-area contact. NFPA has ready-to-use emergency plan cards families can complete and carry with important contact information. We also offer general preparedness tips for consumers and a “Get Ready” kit for fire departments to use to teach residents about disaster preparation.

Let’s be strong and always be prepared.

Public Education fire safety social story for children who have autism featured in webinar

April is Autism Awareness Month. In observance, the Autism NOW Center (The National Autism Resource and Information Center) hosted a webinar recently on the topic, “Preparing for Fires and Other Emergencies.” I was a co-presenter, along with Chris Lacy of Autism Alert, which provides autism awareness training for first responders. I covered the topic of fire safety during my presentation, focusing on the Public Education Division’s fire safety social story for children who have autism, “I Know My Fire Safety Plan.” During the webinar, people who have autism, their families, and caregivers learned how the social story can be used to prepare a high-functioning child with autism or a person with other developmental disabilities before a fire occurs. I also shared information about other educational materials available for people with disabilities, and our safety tips sheets for people with disabilities.

New tip sheet now available: Young Firesetters

There’s a brand new safety tip sheet now available on young firesetters. Children are naturally curious about the world, and fire is no exception. As kindergarteners and preschoolers are most likely to start these fires, probably by playing with matches or lighters, it’s important to talk to children about the dangers of fire.

Some of the tips included are:

• Store matches and lighters out of children’s reach and sight, up high, preferably in a locked cabinet or container.
• Never leave matches or lighters in a bedroom or any place where children may go without supervision.
• Teach young children and school-age children to tell a grown-up if they see matches or lighters. Children need to understand that fire is difficult to control, it is fast and can hurt as soon as it touches you

For the rest of the safety tips, visit NFPA’s children playing with fire page.

Read the new issue of NFPA's public education newsletter

The April 2013 issue of NFPA's public education newsletter, Safety Source, is now available. This issue  features our new parent tip sheet for children playing with fire, ESPN anchor Hannah Storm urges others to learn from her grilling accident, a free printable: 10 Ways to have fun this Spring (which includes some great fire-safety ideas to get kids involved), and an overview on NFPA's review on fire safety messaging for preschool-age children.

You'll also find the latest estimates on major fire cause, the Educator of the Year winner and information on applying inclusive emergency preparedness to wildfire mitigation planning.

If you aren't signed up already, today is the day! Get the latest public education news for your family, business, community and classroom delivered right to your in-box.

 

New safety information videos make their debut

I was reminded of my previous career in television news recently when I was asked to go on camera to record NFPA safety information videos. Back when I was a reporter at the CBS station in Champaign, Illinois, I appeared on camera trudging through dry corn fields in 90 degree weather as I talked about the latest drought, or you’d find me sticking a ruler in the snow to tell viewers how significant the snowfall was, or I’d report live in front of the wreckage of a home that was flattened by a tornado that cut a swath through the neighborhood.

Needless to say, going on camera in the NFPA studio was a far different assignment from the breaking news stories that I used to cover. However, the objective is the same: to provide the public with information to help them be safe.

So far, I’ve recorded videos on cooking safety, home heating safety, outdoor electrical safety, and portable fireplaces. The videos are quick, to the point, and packed with safety tips. Plans are underway for me to record additional videos, so stay tuned!