Fire Danger

I got a call a few days ago from this little old lady who was scheduling free dinners at Ruby River Steakhouse. Now, never being one to turn down something that is free, I asked which time-share she was affiliated with (We've attended them all) She told me that she isn't with a time share, they were just giving a "brief" presentation on fire safety. Now, it did sound too good to be true, but free is free. We got the information in the mail, and the "brief" fire safety presentation said it would be from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. hardly brief, but free is free, so we went. The dinner was great, it was definately worth attending. The presentation was very informative, and I'm glad we attended. The presentation was limited to information only, no prices were discussed at all. HOWEVER, this is a big fat HOWEVER...They set up appointments to come give you a free consulation. They install their smoke detectors for you. My thought was "How much could it cost." My naive mind thought at most $1,000. They offered some free products for having them come out, but when they got here it was pretty high pressure. (ie. the average person spends $12k on fire insurance to protect their things, how much are your children worth) So, in all..they reccomended $3,500 worth of smoke detectors for our 1200 square foot home. They charge nearly $400 per smoke detector claiming that the standard smoke detector fails 58% of the time. Now, that's a scary thought. I have done a lot of research today because we actually don't have a functioning smoke detector in our home currently. I talked to our local fire department and he said the advice given in these seminars is accurate, but the prices border on "Scam" (um, no kidding) I just thought that I would share the tips.

From the Seminar
1. Never leave your clothes dryer running while you are sleeping or not home.
2. Clean the coils on your fridge every six months
3. Clean the vent from your clothes dryer every six months.
4. Check batteries in your smoke detectors every six months.
5. Keep fire extinguishers in the master bedroom, kitchen (but not near the stove or cupboards) and in laundry room.
6. Keep a bat in bedrooms (when windows get hot the glass curves and it harder to break. Windows may not open, and may need to be broken)
7. NEVER try to fight a garage fire. There are too many combustables. Evacuate immediately!
8. NEVER NEVER NEVER put flour on a fire. (A mistake often made with grease fires-flour is extremely flamable!)

From the Fire Chief
1. Any type of fire detector is good. There are several types some are better at detecting different types of fires. It is good to have both types installed in a hallway or common area.
2. It shouldn't cost more than $300 to install fire detectors in the average home
3. Fire detectors should be replaced every 10 years because sensors fail. (this is why many of the standard detectors fail, because they are not replaced as often as they should be)
4. There should be mutliple fire detectors and Carbon monoxide detectors on a level of a home. The following is reccomended: 1 smoke detector in each bedroom, hall, kitchen, also a detector in a laundry room, near the water heater, and furnace. a Carbon Monoxide Detector should be in the area of the furnace and above the furnace as well (if it's downstairs)

The fire chief stressed that it is important to have a lot of smoke detectors because a fire doubles in size every 15 seconds. He said the more you have the better your chances. It has nothing to do with the amount you spend on the detector, rather the number of detectors you buy. Wow, we could buy a lot of those $10 ones at Lowes for $3500!!!

Also the chief said it's important to talk to children about what to do if there is a fire. Most children hide when they are scared. It's important they know what to do. He said it may sound cheesy, but having a "fire drill" for family home evening and choosing a plan and a spot for your family to meet is crucial for kids being comfortable with what to do in case of an actual fire.