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1 Mitigating the Rural Fire Problem
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Mitigating the Rural Fire Problem
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Project Purpose• Reduce fire deaths and injuries in rural America
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Communities
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What Are These Communities?• Southeast Region
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What Are These Communities?• Northeast Region
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What Are These Communities?• Midwest/ North Central Region
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What Are These Communities?• West Region
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What Are These Communities?• Migrant Workers’ Communities in Florida
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What Are These Communities?• First Nations/Native American communities
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What Are These Communities?• Colonias on Texas/Mexican border
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RuralCommunities
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Rural America is
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Fire death rates are higher in rural America
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Sources and resources for our research– Literature review including statistical analysis– Interviews with leaders in fire service and in organizations
serving rural communities
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How are rural communities different?• Homes are farther apart.• People are more likely to be poor.
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How are rural communities different?– Longer response distances for fire departments– Less fire prevention by fire departments– Less local coverage in media
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SmokeAlarms
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Smoke Alarms• Why they are important
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Smoke Alarms• What to do
– Install on every level– Outside each sleeping area– Inside each sleeping room
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Smoke Alarms• What to do
– Interconnected alarms
Printed with permission from NFPA 72®, National Fire alarm Code, Copyright© 2007.
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Smoke Alarms• Test at least every month.• Hard-wire or use 10-year
batteries.
• Replaceable batteries need to be changed once a year.
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Smoke Alarms• What to do
– Can you hear it?– Will it wake you?
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Smoke Alarms• What to do
– Make an escape plan.– Practice your escape plan.
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Smoking Fires
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Smoking Fires• Why they are important
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Smoking Fires • What to do if you smoke
– Fire-safe cigarette
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Smoking Fires• What to do if you smoke
– Smoke outdoors
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Smoking Fires • What to do if you smoke
– Use deep, sturdy ashtrays.– Set ashtrays on a sturdy surface.
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Smoking Fires• What to do if you smoke
– Make sure butts and ashes are out.
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Smoking Fires• What to do if you smoke
– Check for fallen butts.
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HeatingFires
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Heating Fires• Why they are important
– #1 cause of rural home fire deaths– Space heaters have higher risk. – Space heaters are portable or stationery.
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Heating Fires• What to do
– Get a professional review.
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Heating Fires• What to do
– Buy the right heater for you.
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Heating Fires• What to do
– Space heaters need 3 feet of space.
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Heating Fires• What to do
– Turn off portable space heaters when you sleep or leave the room.
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Heating Fires• What to do
– Plug power cords into outlets with enough capacity.
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Heating Fires • What to do
– Use the right wood fuel.
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Heating Fires• What to do
– Vent your fuel-burning heater.
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Heating Fires• What to do
– Use the right liquid fuel.
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ElectricalFires
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Electrical Fires• Why they are important
– #3 cause of rural home fire deaths– Wiring, cords and plugs, etc.– Wall fires can be hard to detect and extinguish.– Older electrical systems have higher risk.
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Electrical Fires• What to do
– Get a professional review.
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Electrical Fires• What to do
– What are arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI)?
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Electrical Fires• What to do
– What can trigger an arc fault?
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Electrical Fires• What to do
– Watch for signs of electrical problems.
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Electrical Fires• What to do
– Avoid overloading outlets and circuits.
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Electrical Fires• What to do
– Use light bulbs with the right wattage.
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Outdoor Burning Fires
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Outdoor Burning Fires• Why they are important
– Nearly half of reported fires in rural America are outdoor fires.
– Nearly half of rural outdoor fires are open flame.– Elsewhere, the dominant cause for outdoor
fires is arson.
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Open Burning Fires• What to do
– Follow the rules.
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Open Burning Fires• What to do
– Attend your fire.
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Open Burning Fires• What to do
– Avoid burning on windy, dry days.– Never use flammable or combustible liquids.
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Visible address• Make sure your house number can be
seen easily from the street.
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Resources
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Five Step Guide for Rural Firefighters• A planning resource for you
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Project Final Report• Mitigation of the Rural Fire Problem – Strategies Based
on Original Research and Adaptation of Existing Best Practices, July 2007
• Available at www.usfa.dhs.org
