Spring Forward Into Fire Safety

It’s that time again, time to spring forward into daylight savings time. This Sunday, March 11, 2012 will be the time to set your clocks forward one hour. It is also time to replace the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. It may seem like a bother, but it is one of the most cost effective forms of life safety insurance that you can have. On March 3^rd of this year, two adults and two children died in an early morning house fire in Ohio. Fire investigators were quoted as saying “No working smoke detectors were found.”

Did you know that 96% of the homes in the United States have smoke detectors but that in 23% of these homes the smoke detectors don’t work, primarily because of missing or dead batteries. Here in California, we have all witnessed the incredible wildland fires and extreme flames that sometimes reach to more than 200 feet in height. Yet as dangerous and deadly as these fires can be, 83% of civilian fire fatalities in the United States happen in home fires. Fires are one of the leading causes of death for children and the majority of those killed die in home fires. The peak hours for deadly home fires are between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. when people are most vulnerable. The deadly fire last week in Ohio occurred at 3:30 a.m.

Carbon monoxide is a silent killer and California Law requires homeowners to install carbon monoxide detectors in every California home. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced from heaters, fireplaces, furnaces and many types of appliances and cooking devices.

CAL FIRE San Bernardino Unit Chief Tim McClelland says “for the cost of a few batteries, you can protect your family from the dangers of fire and carbon monoxide. It’s an investment in safety, it’s an investment in life.”

For more information about smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors you can go to www.fire.ca.gov. or http://www.nfpa.org.

Carbon Monoxide Law Takes Effect Today!

Beginning today July 1, 2011, new legislation goes into effect that requires homeowners to install carbon monoxide detectors in every California home; a move CAL FIRE officials say will save lives. Acting State Fire Marshal Tonya Hoover says "carbon monoxide is a silent killer, each year claiming the lives of an average of 480 people and sending more than 20,000 people to emergency rooms across the nation".

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced from heaters, fireplaces, furnaces and many types of appliances and cooking devices. Carbon monoxide is produced whenever any fuel such as gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal is burned. In the past, some people have used things to heat homes or rooms and sadly, deaths have occurred from the carbon monoxide. "Having a CO detector is a small investment that really can help save your life and the lives of your family" said San Bernardino Unit Chief Tim McClelland.

It is important that you know the symptoms of CO poisoning. At moderate levels, you or your family can get severe headaches, become dizzy, mentally confused, nauseated, or faint. You can die if these levels persist for a long time. Low levels can cause shortness of breath, mild nausea, and mild headaches and may have longer term effects on your health. Since many of these symptoms are similar to those of the flu, food poisoning, or other illnesses, you may not think that CO poisoning could be the cause.

Though previous laws only required newly-constructed homes to have CO alarms, the state's new Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act (Senate Bill 183) requires owners of all existing single-family homes with an attached garage or fossil fuel source to install CO alarm devices within the home by July 1, 2011. Owners of multi-family leased or rental dwellings, such as apartment buildings, have until January 1, 2013 to comply with the law.

For additional information on how to prevent Carbon Monoxide poisoning visit the CAL FIRE website at http://www.fire.ca.gov/