Fire Safety Trailer Presentation

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FRONT of Trailer:

Intro:  Trailer was purchased by the three Fire Distracts in Monroe Township, and what you learn here may save your life!

Kitchen Area: Kitchen Safety and Burn Preventions

Props:
Pot on Stove: handles in unsafe position, facing outward in front of Stove. 

Lesson: You can be burned by liquids. Stove:   Towel / bathrobe sleeves touching burner.        

Lesson:  You can be burned by solids (Direct contact). Microwave:   Taking out popcorn, opening the bag, and getting steam on your face.

Lesson: You can be burned by gas.

Microwave:   Tin foil in microwave –  A NO-NO!

Adults Only Tips:
Kitchen:

  • Putting a cold spoon in a hot coffee cup on rare occasions may shatter spoon
  • Location of Fire Extinguisher: Do not place next to the door, mount near the exit door to the kitchen or way out. Don’t get trapped by the fire!
  • (Note: you only have 30 seconds to extinguish fire, and to make the decision to flee or fight the fire).
  • Take out a pot lid when you take out a frying pan, to quickly smother a grease fire if necessary.
  • Unplug a toaster oven if you see a flame inside. Do not open the door, the fire will go out from lack of oxygen.
  • Go over use of extinguisher:
  • P.A.S.S. (Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep) Remember to pull the pin. Get ABC or BC for kitchen.

Call the Fire Dept. even if you think the fire is out. It may be burning behind a cabinet. The Fire Dept. will determine if there is any fire extension and help you clear out the smoke.

Stairs: Keep toys (and other debris) off the stairs to ensure you can safely egress and the Fire Dept. can gain entrance.

REAR of Trailer:

Hazards:
Space Heater: Keep three feet  from wall.

Adults Only Tips: Take a tour of your home for hazards:

  • Ensure storage is maintained a minimum of three feet from Furnace / Hot  Water Heater / Boiler.
  • Ensure propane is not stored in home or garage.
  • Make sure your BBQ grill is at least five feet away from any structure when in use (home, shed etc.).

Props:

Fire Place: Use a screen and tiles to prevent ashes from igniting the rug.

Adults Only Tip: After fire is out re-check area with lights out for glowing ashes.

Glass vase (empty of course) to ensure curling irons and related devices don’t fall and catch something on fire.

Extension cords and wiring (all props take from fire or found on inspections.)

Cords overloaded and wiring spliced together.

Lesson: Use breaker strip (outlet with fuse or reset button) in place of extension cords.

MOST IMPORTANT: Getting out Alive

In the Event of a Fire: When the detector goes off GET Out Fast Stay Low and GO!

Just as I’m talking to you, two kids from Monroe are still alive because they were able to get out of a burning house fire.

It’s about three things: Exits, Alarms, and having an Escape Plan. 

Alarms:    Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

  • Make sure that you have at least one smoke detector on every level of the house.
  • Smoke Detectors & CO Detectors:  Do video game systems work with a dead battery? Neither do detectors.
  • Change detector batteries when you change your clocks a minimum of once a year.

Adults Only Tip: When discarding old batteries, put black electrical tape over the top contacts to ensure a metal object hitting / shorting out the contacts doesn’t accidentally cause a fire.

Some newer smoke detectors and CO Detectors do not have replaceable batteries. After the designed number years, the entire unit must be replaced.
Test smoke detectors monthly

  • Replace if ten years or older.

A bit about CO & CO detectors:

Carbon Monoxide Detectors:

Carbon Monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless and extremely harmful.

You can’t see it, smell it, or taste it.

Adults Only Tips:

  • Test Carbon Monoxide detectors monthly.
  • Make sure you have at least one carbon monoxide detector on every level of the house
  • Replace every five years unless it contains newer non-replaceable battery as noted above.

Exits:
Know two ways out, both at home and wherever you go.
In the event of a Fire:

  • If one exit is blocked, find another.
  • Exits are doors and windows.
  • Plan and do fire drills. Ensure that windows are operable and are big enough to get out of. Do all windows open? Some have child proof locks
  • Identify exits in the home, including windows.
  • Check windows. Know how to open them and ensure that they are big enough to get out of
  • Do you need a ladder for escaping the second floor? If you have a ladder, just practice setting it up, not going down. That’s what we have this trailer for!
  • Save the practice for the fire safety trailer available at Monroe Day, the Oktoberfest, and all third graders at school during Fire Prevention Week.
  • In the event of a fire, use the ladder with one adult and have the children go first. If there are two adults, one adult goes first, then the children, then the second adult last.

Adults Only Tip:

  • Basement sleeping is hazardous without an egress (escape window). Even a Bilco-type door can become covered with snow and will block your escape.

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Escape Plan/Home Fire Drills:

Make A Plan and do Fire Drills: Just Like in School!

If you need assistance or have a family member with special needs (wheelchair, etc.), contact the Fire Dept. for a special plan.

Fire is dark, hot, and moves quickly, so you must have an escape plan. You have less than three or four minutes to get out before the smoke, temperatures, and carbon monoxide become unbearable.

As said before, know two ways out:

  • Know your Exits (Windows and Doors).
  • Practice opening windows.
  • Screens (in a real fire) just push out.

Plan: All household members need to know how to get out independently. Some fire drills should be conducted during sleeping hours and can help to determine family members that have a tough time or are slow to wake up. Use a spare smoke detector by holding down the test button to simulate a real fire. Fire is dark, so a flashlight by your bedside may be helpful.

Part of the drill should include instructions:

  • Instruct family members: if there is smoke, stay low and go.
  • Identify a meeting place for family members to assemble at outside, such as a neighbor’s front door or a tree in the front yard (away from the house). You can then determine any missing people and direct firemen accordingly.
  • Instruct family members to NEVER go back inside once outside!
  • Call 9-1-1 from outside the house or a neighbor’s house, NEVER from inside the house!

Escape:   When the alarm goes off, GET OUT! (Young Kids: don’t hide from the Fire!)

Escape: When the alarm sounds, wake up the household members, get out, and stay out!

Time: You don’t have time!

  • Just Enough Time to wake up the family and Get Out!
    • Pets get out by themselves, as they are low to the ground.
    • No time for toys, valuables, or purses.
  • Fire goes from 100 degrees to 400 – 1000 in the first three or four minutes of a fire.
  • Do not waste time getting valuables. If you see fire or heavy smoke, or if the doorknob is hot, keep the door shut and use a different way to get out.
  • If you must turn around and use a bedroom window, use the escape ladder (climb down facing the ladder) or go out feet first facing the house, hang and drop.
  • If you must go through smoke, stay low by crawling under the smoke. That’s where the cool air is. The difference may save your life!

Stay low and go: That’s where the cool air is, near the floor. That’s also why pets get out and survive.

Seaton Hall Dorm Fire Example:
Two college roommates escaped the Seaton Hall Dorm Fire.
One ran and the other remembered her Fire Prevention training and crawled.
The first went to St. Barnabus with burns to their throat and lungs.
The one who crawled was treated and released the same day.

  • Try getting out the usual way. If there is heavy smoke or fire, or if the door knob is hot, keep the door shut and again, find another exit.
  • If you can’t get out of bedroom, keep the door shut and go to a window. Open the window (unless fire is below window) and wait for fire fighters.
  • If you must get out through a window (if smoke is unbearable/last resort) but you don’t have a ladder:
    • Most home 2nd floor windows are less than a 16 foot drop.
    • Teach family members how to hang like on a jungle gym facing the building, dropping feet first, never jumping head-first.
  • Once outside, go to the meeting place and NEVER go back inside.
  • Call 9-1-1 from outside building or a neighbor’s house, never from inside the house.
  • Determine if anyone is missing and direct Fire Dept.

Note:  Firefighters sometimes risk their lives searching for people who are already out of the building.

Smoke Trailer Escape (True Story):
Explain that two kids escaped a house fire in Monroe.
A space heater caught a vacuum cleaner on fire.
A smoke detector alarm went off.
The teenage boy and girl tried to go downstairs and saw smoke and fire.
Just as they were taught, they opened a window (no ladder), pushed out the screen, hung out the window, and dropped. Both kids were ok (aside from the girl having a minor sprained ankle). The house was totally destroyed.
They survived because they did everything right and didn’t lose their cool.

Smoke Drill/ Safety First!:

  • Explain that you are going to recreate the Monroe Fire Incident that you just talked about.
  • Teach how to use the ladder (Just like a pool ladder).
  • Face trailer / house
  • Two hands and at least one foot on the ladder, (three points just like fire school).
  • Children are instructed to crawl when smoke alarm goes off, going to the upstairs window, turning to the ladder facing the trailer (one at a time), and go down.
  • Have someone at the top of the ladder directing the children, as well as crew at base of the ladder.
  • Children are to be directly supervised always.
  • Don’t touch the children unless you have to, but under the same token, assist as necessary if you feel there is a safety issue.

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