Montgomery County fire related injuries stands at 22 for the year, with several residents suffering severe injuries.
Conroe, Tx March 13th , 2010
This weekend, March 13 and 14, we will all be setting our clocks to Daylight Saving Time. The time change is a good reminder to check your smoke alarms. According to the National Fire Protection Association, more than 66 percent of home fire deaths that occurred between 2003-2006 were in homes without a working smoke alarm. A working smoke alarm significantly increases your chances of surviving a deadly home fire.
A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether you’re awake or asleep, a working smoke alarm is constantly on alert, scanning the air for fire and smoke. Smoke alarms must be maintained! A smoke alarm with a dead or missing battery is the same as having no smoke alarm at all, so test your smoke alarm monthly by pushing the “test” button, if it has one.
Smoke alarms are powered by either a battery or are hardwired into your home’s electrical system. Hardwired smoke alarms are usually equipped with a backup battery. If your smoke alarm is powered by battery, the battery needs to be replaced annually unless it is a long-life battery (check the owner’s manual). All batteries should be maintained and replaced in accordance with manufacturer’s guidance.
Choose an annual date, such as the time change, when you will remember to maintain your smoke alarm in tip top condition. Check the manufacturer’s expiration date on the label, replace the batteries if needed, and clean dust away from the slots so that smoke can enter freely. All smoke alarms, hard-wired and battery powered, should be replaced every ten years. These simple steps will help ensure that you and your family will have the best chance of surviving if fire should strike.
This year Montgomery County has seen a dramatic increase in fire related injuries. The MCFMO has investigated 22 injuries ranging from smoke inhalation to critical burn injuries. Many of the recent fire injuries occurred on cold nights where the residents were using wood burning stoves or space heaters to supply extra heat.
Two Willis residents, Sandra Jean Wright and Russell Pate, remain in Houston and Galveston burn centers after suffering severe burns during a residential fire in the Arrowhead Lakes subdivision just North of Willis. Their conditions are stabilized, but they are both still suffering life threatening injuries. Just two nights after this fire, the same Firefighters and EMS crew responded to another house fire under similar circumstances just South of Willis on Hwy 75. In that fire, Firefighters entered the burning home and rescued an 84 yr old man who had become disoriented and trapped by heavy heat and smoke.
In both of these incidents, there were no working smoke detectors in the homes. Smoke detectors can only help protect your family if they are working. National statistics show that over 90% of homes now have at least one smoke detector, however these same studies show that fully 1/3 of the time the detectors fail to warn the residents of a fire, usually due to dead or missing batteries.
In addition, older battery operated smoke detectors lose their effectiveness and should be replaced every 10 years. The MCFMO recommends replacing older detectors with new units featuring long life lithium batteries. These units are tamper resistant and can last up to ten years before they need the battery replaced. For more information go to nfpa.org or to our website at http://www.mctx.org/fire/
