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With 208 barn and stable fires out of 259 Michigan
agricultural structure fires in 1998, fires are a farm problem. The
leading known cause of residential fires in Michigan was incendiary or
suspicious, followed by cooking and heating.
Avoiding Fire Injuries & Death -USA:
FACT #1. Two-thirds of home heating fire deaths are caused by
portable or fixed space heaters.
Tip: Use portable heaters during awake hours and away from flammable
objects. Follow the manufacturer’s safety directions.
FACT #2. Plan your escape.
Tip: If there’s a fire, people need to be prepared so they can get out
fast and avoid panic. That means drawing a plan of how to exit every
room with two ways out and deciding on a meeting place outside.
FACT #3. Stop, Drop and Roll if your clothing is
on fire.
Tip: Once fire strikes, flames can spread fast to anything that is
flammable...including clothing. If clothes do catch fire, immediate
action is required. The right response is to drop to the ground and roll
over and over to smother the flames.
FACT #4. Electrical fires can have warning signs
before a fire erupts.
Tip: Extension cords that are warm are overloaded with too much
electrical demand and not sized for the load or length of cord.
Extension cords are for temporary use.
FACT
#5. Cooking-related fires rank first in home fires and home fire
injuries.
Tip: Leaving cooking unintended and grease related fires are leading
causes of kitchen and cooking-related fires.
FACT #6. New residential construction should consider
automatic sprinklers.
Tip: When a building is protected by sprinklers, the chances of dying in
a fire and the average property loss per fire are both cut by one-half
to two-thirds, compared to fires where there are no sprinklers. Get the
facts on the latest for home sprinklers.
FACT #7. Install smoke alarms outside bedrooms to
warn people while there’s time to escape.
Tip: In homes with at least one smoke alarm, the death rate is 45
percent lower than without smoke alarms. Why wait?
FACT #8. Crawl low under smoke.
Tip: If you must exit through smoke, crawling on your hands and knees is
a safe way to exit.
FACT #9. Smoking materials continue to be the leading
cause of fire deaths in the United States.
Tip: Remind smokers that they need to butt out properly and not smoke in
bed or when drowsy.
FACT #10. Matches and lighters do light fires!
Tip: From 1992 to 1996, matches and lighters accounted for 80 percent of
all child-playing home fires, 83 percent of corresponding deaths and
injuries, and 82 percent of direct property damage. Keep matches and
lighters where children can’t get to them.
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