Fire Safety for Senior Citizens

The U.S. has one of the highest fire death rates in the industrialized world. In 1998 the U.S. fire death rate was 14.9 deaths per million population. Every year more than 4,000 Americans die and an additional 25,000 are injured as a result of fires. Eighty percent of these fatalities occur in the home. Of those, approximately 85 percent occur in single-family homes and duplexes. In addition to the loss of life fires cause a direct property loss of 8.6 billion dollars each year.
Approximately 75 percent of the 1,300 senior citizens who die nation-wide in fires each year do not have working smoke alarms in their homes.
Older adults - those over 65 years of age- are twice as likely to be killed or injured by fires or falls, compared to the population at large. By age 75 that risk increases to three times that of the general population and four times at age 85.
Most fatal fires take place between midnight and 8 AM, while most people are asleep. 79% of all multiple death fires occur between midnight and 8 AM.
Most of the deaths in fires are cause by smoke, not by the flames themselves.
Don't become a statistic!! You can have a fire safe home just by following these Fire Prevention tips for senior citizens.

Kitchen Safety

  • Don't wear loose fitting clothing or frilly clothing while cooking.
  • Keep handles on your pots and pans turned inward.
  • Avoid reaching above the stove while cooking. You can rearrange cupboards so that items that you may need while cooking are not over your stove.
  • Do not put grease fires out with water. Either smother the fire out with a lid or with baking soda.
  • Never leave your stove unattended. Make sure that you watch what you are cooking carefully!
  • Place a smoke detector and a small fire extinguisher in your kitchen.
  • If you have an oven fire, turn off the oven and keep the door closed.
  • Keep your kitchen clean! This will cut down on grease buildup
  • Keep towels, pot holders, and curtains aways from the stove.
  • Always turn off your stove when you are finished cooking.

    • Electrical Safety

  • Do not overload any electrical outlet.
  • Do not keep extension cords under furniture or rugs.
  • Replace any frayed or worn electrical cords.
  • Do not allow pets to chew electrical cords.
  • If you are having electrical problems in your home, call a trained electrician to fix the problem. Faulty wiring can, and often does, cause fires.
  • Water and electicity do not mix. Never put water on an electrical fire. If an electrical appliance catches fire, use an ABC dry chemical extinguisher and call the fire department.

    • Tips for Smokers

  • Never smoke in bed.
  • Do not smoke if you are feeling tired, drowsy, or are drinking, or taking medications which may make you drowsy. Check with you doctor as to possible side-effects of all medications that you are on.
  • Dispose of smoking materials properly. Make sure you have large, non-combustiable, sturdy ashtrays. Never throw hot ashes in the garbage.
  • Install smoke detectors in rooms that are frequently used by smokers.
  • Empty your ashtrays frequently. Wet the contents of the ashtray before throwing in the the trash can.
  • A good idea for an outdoor ashtray is a bucket filled with sand or kitty litter. Snuff your cigarette out in the sand when you are done smoking.

    • Winter Tips

  • Keep kerosene heaters and space heaters in open well ventilated areas away from combustiable materials, like curtains, furniture, or gasoline.
  • Never fill your Kerosene heater with anything other than kerosene.
  • Never fill the kerosene heater while it is hot. Take it outside the home to fill it, and do not over fill the heater.
  • Keep kerosene and other flammable liquids in approved storage containers, away from open flames and in a well ventilated area.
  • Make sure that all portable heaters have emergancy shut-off switches that will turn off if the device falls or is tipped over.
  • Make sure that wood stoves and fireplaces are installed correctly. Keep woodstoves at least 36" away from combustiable surfaces. They should also have proper floor support and protection.
  • Wood stoves should be UL listed.
  • Have chimneys and fireplaces inspected annually, and cleaned if needed. Do not burn in the fireplace until it has passed the inspection.
  • Keep a glass or metal screen in front of your fireplace so that hot sparks don't fly out of it.
  • Don't burn charcoal, use excess amounts of paper, or use a flammiable liquid in your indoor fires.
  • Before you go to bed, make sure that your fire is out. Never close the damper on the fireplace when hot ashes are still in the fireplace. This can cause the heat to build up and the fire to rekindle.
  • If you burn synthetic logs, follow all of the instructions on the package.

    • Other Fire Safety Tips

  • Never use your stove as a heating device. It is a safety hazard and can be a source of toxic fumes.
  • Never thaw frozen pipes with a blow torch or open flame. The pipes can conduct heat and ignite the wall. Use hot water or a UL labeled hand-held hair dryer.
  • When you shovel your sidewalks or driveway, shovel out fire hydrants that are near your home too. This helps us firefighters get water to your home quicker. Seconds do count!
  • Make sure that every level of your home has at least one working smoke detector.

    • What to do in a Fire

  • When you hear your smoke detector get out of bed and stay low to the floor.
  • Feel the door, if it is cool, open it slowly and get to the nearest exit. If the door is warm or hot, stay in the room and call the fire department. Tell the dispatcher that you are trapped. Then try to seal the door with blankets or duct tape to prevent smoke from getting into the room.
  • When you do get out, stay out! Pets can usually find their way out on their own. The fire department will do their best to save everything that they can. Nothing is more important to us than you are. Material things can be replaced, you can't. Always remember that.

    These tips are just as important for seniors as they are for the people who may care for a senior. If you are a caregiver for an older adult, please make sure that their home is fire safe, and that there is a working smoke detector near where the person spends a lot of their time. Make sure that there is at least one smoke detector on each floor of the home. If you are caring for a senior who has hearing loss, please make sure that the smoke detectors have a visual signal, such as a strobe light, as well as an audible one.

    If you need any more information about fire safety for senior citizens, please feel free to contact the Central Fire Department at 938-7901.

    Back to Firefighterjosie.com