Safe Kids Kansas and Kansas state fire marshal offer home fire safety tips

In 2007, 37 Kansans died in 3,276 residential fires. In the seven-year period from 2000 to 2006, 57 Kansas children ages 14 and under died in residential fires, and another 377 were hospitalized for accidental fire/burn-related injuries.
    Oct. 5-11 is Fire Prevention Week. Safe Kids Kansas and the Kansas State Fire Marshal remind all Kansans that approximately 80 percent of all fire-related deaths and injuries occur in the home.
    The leading causes of fire-related deaths to children ages 14 and under are heating equipment, playing with items that can ignite fire and cooking equipment. Most fire-related fatalities are caused by smoke inhalation.
    “A working smoke alarm cuts your chances of dying in a fire by about 50 percent,” says Jan Stegelman, Safe Kids Kansas coordinator. “Put a smoke alarm on every level of your home, outside every sleeping area and in each bedroom — and test them every month. Change the batteries once a year.”
    Smoke alarms are also available with 10-year lithium batteries. It is recommended that smoke alarms be replaced every 10 years.
    A well-rehearsed fire escape plan is also crucial.
    “It is not enough to have a fire escape plan. To escape safely, make sure everyone in the home has practiced the plan,” says Dan McLaughlin, Kansas State Fire Marshal.
    McLaughlin recommends that families plan two ways out of every room and practice the escape plan with children at least twice a year.  Designate a safe place to meet outside in the event of a fire emergency.
    Parents are also reminded to:
    • Keep matches, candles, gasoline, lighters and all other flammable materials locked away and out of children's reach, and teach them never to touch these items.
    • Never leave a burning candle unattended. Place candles in a safe location away from combustible materials and where children or pets cannot tip them over.
    • Keep children away from cooking and heating appliances. Never leave the kitchen while you are cooking.
    • Place space heaters at least 3 feet from curtains, papers, furniture and other flammable materials. Always turn space heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
    • Plug an electric space heater into an outlet with enough capacity.  Never plug it into an extension cord.
    • Consider a home sprinkler system. The combination of smoke alarms and sprinklers can reduce your chances of dying in a fire by 82 percent.
    For more information about fire safety for children and families, visit www.usa.safekids.org.