Courtesy of the EL CAJON FIRE DEPARTMENT – Safety Educator Monica Zech For educational materials, or if you’d like a speaker for your school, group or company, give me a call at (619) 441-1615 or e-mail me at monicazech@cox.net or through my work email at mzech@ci.el-cajon.ca.us

*My talks provide both a professional and personal look at what it takes to increase your survival in case of fire. Making you more aware of the problems we’re seeing in our emergency calls, what you may have missed hearing about in the news and throught stats. My goal is to make you more aware of these problems that surround us to reduce the “risk factors” of experiencing a tragedy. These talks have been in big demand for parenting classes, schools, Colleges, military safety stand downs, company safety briefings or conferences and for civic and senior groups. The content of these safety talks can include any or all of the following topics, utilizing slides and VHS videos.

The Basic Facts About FIRE…And Other Safety Tips:

Fire kills an estimated 5-thousand people a year! Of the 91-thousand fires reported yearly in the United States, most fires occur at night while we’re asleep. Most people die of smoke inhalation from a fire – not burns. Fire is very dangerous – once a fire starts it can double in size every 30 seconds. Don’t think it can’t happen to you or your family. Do everything you can to protect & educate your family or workplace. Most fires & related deaths can be prevented – so prevention through education is our mission – saving lives is our goal.

*Fire Safety Education Fact sheets check – The United States Fire Administration

*For General & Local Fire Safety programs in the area of “Burn Prevention” and other related issues – please contact, and if possible support through your donations, The Burn Institute click or call (858)541-2277.

*FIRE SAFETY TIPS – Talks Available (recommended 1st Grade ages & up)

*PARENTS – To prevent most home fires -it’s “proper supervision” of young children and making sure matches and lighters are out of reach of young children or locked away! More young children start home fires after seeing their parents lighting cigarettes and barbecues and imitate this behavior. And “never” leave burning candles and cooking food “unattended”!

*Most important – SMOKE DETECTORS – Make sure you have a functioning life-saving “smoke detector” in your home and workplace! The firefighters I work with have found these to be such lifesavers they have a smoke detector in every single room of their home. At $5-$10 each they’re a small investment to protect your family and home. To keep it functioning, change the battery every 6 months, check it/test it at least once a month – if not once a week. Smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years. Some detectors make a chirping or beeping sound to let you know the battery needs to be replaced. Never take a battery out of a detector for use in toys etc. If you disabled it due to cooking-restore it to working order as soon as you finish cooking. Sleep with your bedroom door closed, smoke from a fire can be kept out of a room for about 20 to 30 minutes. Install at least one carbon monoxide detector in your home…if you’re concerned about your heater have San Diego Gas & Electric check it!

*Have a home escape plan, plan it and practice it with your family at least twice a year. Most important have a meeting place outside, a place you’ll all meet to make sure everyone got out safely before calling 9-1-1…this way no one runs back into a burning building thinking loved ones are still trapped inside. Never go into a burning building, not for pictures or any material items – it’s not worth your life.

*If you live in a two or more story home make sure you have a window escape ladder in each bedroom, possibly in a box under the window or under the bed. These can be purchased at a Home Depot or Target.

• Keep matches and lighters hidden away from children.
• Do Not leave candles burning or food cooking “unattended” – these are 2 major fire hazards we see most often.
• Never leave small appliances running or plugged in – such as fans, heaters or coffee pots
• Avoid overloading wall outlets and extension cords.
• Keep outdoor electrical connectors above ground and out of puddles and snow.
• Dispose of fireplace ashes into a metal container until cold.
• After parties, check around and under sofa and chair cushions for smoldering cigarettes. (Provide lots of ash trays or better yet, don’t allow smoking indoors)
• Have an operable fire extinguisher readily available.
• Commuting with hot liquids? Those who commute with hot coffee, hot chocolate or tea, in a cup or commuter mug, could accidently pour hot liquids onto their laps while driving – or at the workplace. The growth of hot coffee shops has added to this growing problem.

Fire Safety – Children:

• Teach your child how and when to call 9-1-1
• Teach your child NEVER to play with matches or lighters – keep these items out of reach or hidden – supervision of a child/children is very important! Many of the fires we’ve seen start from a child or children left playing alone in a bedroom.

*According to Ms.Sue Cox, spokesperson for Children’s Hospital – Visiting family & friends and colder weather presents it’s own share of hazards you may not know about. The following are examples of such hazards she has seen that have led to injuries and in some cases death:

• Family & friends visiting? Watch your young child very carefully, they may get into suitcases filled with hazards such as medicines, razors etc. In general, the supervision of children may suffer as you tend to guests.
• Colder temperatures – hot beverage use rises – keep hot beverage mugs and coffee pots out of reach of children. Keeps handles of pots and pans on the stove turned inward.

From the Californian Department of Forestry – How To Protect Your Family & Home:

You Are At Risk! California is home to millions of residents who enjoy the state’s beautiful scenery and warm climate. But most people do not realize that these qualities also create the MOST SEVERE WILDFIRE CONDITIONS IN THE WORLD! Each year, thousands of acres of California wildland and hundreds of homes are destroyed during a fire season that lasts from May to October – and in some areas all year long.

If you live in the foothills, grasslands, or mountains of California, YOU ARE AT RISK!

Making the fire hazard even worse is the growing population in new communities that were once wildland areas surrounding California’s major cities. This rapid growth places even greater strain on the state’s firefighting forces, who can’t place a fire engine at every home.

Fire protection is everyone’s responsibility:
To protect your family and your possessions, you must follow certain steps — both inside and outside your home — to make your property “Fire Safe.”

Inside Your Home:
Smoke detectors have saved many lives by alerting residents to fires inside the home. Smoke detectors should be positioned on the wall or ceiling just outside each bedroom. If you have a multi-level home, install a detector on every floor. Sleep with your bedroom door closed, but make sure you can clearly hear the detector in the hall. If there is any doubt, or if you smoke, place an additional detector inside your bedroom. Be sure to test your smoke detectors monthly and replace batteries twice a year, perhaps when clocks are changed in the spring and fall.

Portable fire extinguishers save lives and property by putting out or containing small fires until the fire department arrives. It is most important to place fire extinguishers in your kitchen and garage. Make sure that each member of your family can hold and operate your fire extinguishers and knows where they are located inside the home. Remember that fire extinguishers need to be maintained and must be recharged after every use.

Consider installing a home sprinkler system. Home sprinkler systems are one of the most reliable and effective ways to protect your home because they provide an immediate response to extinguish a fire. They also can extinguish a fire when you are asleep or when you are away from home.

Outside Your Home:
Your roof is the most vulnerable part of your house because it can easily catch fire from wind-blown sparks. It is highly recommended that you build or re-roof with fire resistive roofing materials. Also be sure to clear pine needles, leaves or other debris from your roof and gutters. And remove any dead branches overhanging your roof.

Remove any tree branches within 10 feet of your chimney. Cover your chimney outlet and stovepipe with a nonflammable screen of ? inch or smaller mesh.

Build or remodel with fire resistive building materials, such as brick or stucco.

Enclose the undersides of balconies and above-ground decks with fire resistive materials.

Limit the size and number of windows in your home that face large areas of vegetation. Even from a distance of 30 feet away, the heat from a wildfire is enough to ignite the furnishings inside your house. Install only dual-paned or triple-paned windows to reduce the potential of breakage in a fire.

Your Yard:
Create a “defensible space” by removing all dry grass, brush, and dead leaves at least 30, but better yet 100 feet away feet from your home. Replace native plants with ornamental landscaping plants that are fire resistive.

Space trees and shrubs at least 10 feet apart. Reduce the number of trees in heavily wooded areas.

For trees smaller than 18 feet, prune lower branches within six feet of the ground to keep ground fires from spreading into tree tops.

Stack firewood and scrap woodpiles at least 30 feet from any structure and clear away flammable vegetation that is within 10 feet of these woodpiles.

Locate LPG tanks (butane and propane) at least 30 feet from any structure and surround them with 10 feet of clearance.

*Defensible space must be regularly maintained to be effective.

Your Emergency Water Supply:
Maintain an emergency water supply, that meets fire department standards, through one of the following: a community water/hydrant system; a cooperative emergency storage tank with neighbors;
a minimum storage supply of 2,500 gallons on your property.
Clearly mark all emergency water sources and maintain easy firefighter access to these water sources.

If your water comes from a well, consider an emergency generator to operate the pump during a power failure.

Access to Your House:
You should know at least two exit routes from your neighborhood in case of emergency evacuation. If there id only one, evacuate if there’s the slightest chance of raging brush fires near your home. Don’t wait for someone to knock on your door to tell you to evacuate.

Make sure that any road leading up to your house allows two-way traffic, is not too steep and does not have curves too sharp to accommodate large emergency vehicles.

Driveways and bridges must be strong enough to carry heavy emergency vehicles, including bulldozers carried on large trucks.

Make sure dead-end roads and long driveways have turnaround areas that are wide enough for emergency vehicles.

*Very Important: Your house address and street name should be printed in numbers and letters that are at least four inches tall, on contrasting color background. They should be visible from all directions of travel for at least 150 feet. HELP US FIND YOU!

Be sure that your street name and house number are not duplicated elsewhere in the county.

If your house is set back from your street or road, post your address at the entrance of your driveway.

Emergency Preparedness:
Store at least a three-day supply of drinking water and food that does not require refrigeration and generally does not need cooking.

*Store first aid supplies, portable radio, flashlight, emergency cooking equipment, portable lanterns and batteries. Prepare a list of valuables to take with you in case of evacuation; if possible, store these valuables together to save time later.

Pre-plan an escape route from your home and neighborhood. Designate an emergency meeting place for the reunion of family members escaping in separate vehicles, and establish a contact point to communicate with concerned relatives.

Practice emergency exit drills regularly.

Make sure that all family members are ready to protect themselves with
STOP, DROP AND ROLL if their clothes should catch on fire.

Find out more about Fire Safe!

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF), a department of the Resources Agency of California, provides leadership and services to protect and encourage sound land management of the forest, brush and grass-covered lands in California.

Fo additional information contact the local office of the California Department of Forestry at (619)588-0364.