FIRE SAFETY

The Oneida Fire Department conducts tours of the department for school groups and organizations. Please contact the department at 363-1910 to schedule an appointment for your group to visit the Oneida Fire Department. Click on the following links to scroll down to the appropriate page section.

What to do in the event of Fire
Fireplaces and Wood Burning Stoves
Working smoke alarms double an occupant’s chance of surviving a fire
Fire Escape Plans
Grilling Tips
Garage Safety Tips
Common Causes of House Fires:

What to do in the event of Fire

When the fire alarm wakes you, roll out of bed to the floor.

Always stay as close to the floor as possible; the air is cleaner and cooler near the ground. In a blaze, the temperature at knee level may be as cool as 90 degrees, but a burning 690 degrees at shoulder level. Stay on your hands and knees to avoid the heat and smoke.

Crawl to the door and touch it to see if it’s hot. If the door is cool, open it a crack to check for smoke. If there is none, leave by your escape route. Remember to crawl and keep your head low.

On your way out, be sure to close all doors behind you. This can delay the fire for hours.

Do not open the door if it feels hot! Opening the door will only let in the harmful smoke and gas. You will get lost and confused in your own house by thick smoke. Keep the door shut and look for a different escape route. Go to the window if possible.

If you are unable to leave your room or apartment, seal the cracks around the door with wet towels or blankets, and try to let some fresh air in through the window. Call 911 if possible, and tell them exactly where you are. Shout for help and signal your position by waving a bright cloth or sheet. If your clothes catch on fire, do not run! STOP where you are – DO NOT RUN! DROP to the floor or ground; and ROLL back and forth using your hands to cover your face. Roll as many times as necessary until the fire is out.

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Fireplaces and Wood-Burning Stoves

Fireplaces:

Have chimneys professionally inspected and cleaned each year.
Use a sturdy fireplace screen when burning fires.
Burn only wood and not paper or pine boughs that can float out of a chimney and ignite your roof.
If you are hanging stockings by a fireplace, do not burn a fire.

Wood Burning Stoves:

Stove connector pipes and chimneys should be inspected each year by a professional.
Use short hot fires rather than long smoldering ones.
Don’t leave a stove unattended when children are present.
Never use gasoline, kerosene, charcoal starter or other flammables to start a fire.
Empty ashes into a metal container with a tight-fitting lid. Keep containers off of combustible floors.

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Working smoke alarms double an occupant’s chance of surviving a fire

Smoke Detectors:

Working smoke alarms double an occupant’s chance of surviving a fire.Did you know that one half of all home fire deaths occur in homes that do not have working smoke detectors? When properly installed and maintained, smoke detectors can double your chances of surviving a fire! Install smoke detectors on every level of your home, including the basement, and outside each sleeping area.

When a smoke alarm senses smoke, an alarm automatically sounds. Most fatal home fires occur between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Fires often generate lethal amounts of unseen smoke and fumes well before flames are visible and before heat makes residents feel uncomfortably warm. As a result, many people who die in home fires are asleep and never wake up. When carefully purchased, installed, and maintained, smoke alarms can prevent such needless deaths. Smoke alarms buy time to get out of the house quickly before toxic fumes accumulate to lethal levels.

Test your smoke alarm at least once a month by pressing the test button. Replace weak or worn-out batteries at once. Never borrow smoke alarm batteries for other uses. Keep extra batteries on hand. Change batteries at least once a year. Dust and vacuum smoke alarms at least once a year. Replace smoke alarms every 10 years. Make sure smoke alarms are working when you return home after an extended absence.

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, deadly gas.
More than 1,500 people die each year when they’re accidentally exposed to carbon monoxide. It’s the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States.
Carbon monoxide can escape from any fuel-burning appliance or furnace.
To minimize risks, make sure heating appliances are properly maintained.
Install carbon monoxide detectors with audible alarms. Read manufactures’ instructions carefully; some alarms must be replaced after a year or two.
Test your carbon monoxide detectors monthly, to ensure your detectors are working properly.

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Fire Escape Plans

Planning is the key to a fast and safe exit from a fire. Do it today, don’t wait until a fire occurs. Start by drawing a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of each room; especially the sleeping areas. If you live in a two story house, you may want to invest in a fire safety ladder, available at most hardware stores.

Remember to set up a meeting place outside your home for everyone to report to after they have gotten out (a tree, basketball goal the mailbox, etc.)

Practice your escape plan! Have a fire drill just like your children do in school. Make it as realistic as possible. Pretend the lights are out and the house is filling up with smoke. Remember to stay low and crawl under the smoke, touching the doors with the backs of your hand to check for heat before opening the door. Remember not to open a hot door! Go to another exit instead.

If you live in an apartment, use the stairs where necessary and never use an elevator, as it may get stuck between floors or worse take you to the floor of the fire.

Last, but not least, be prepared. Make sure everyone in your family understands the escape route and knows what to do. Remember, get out first then call 911 at a neighbor’s house. Never go back into a burning structure once you have escaped!

The Oneida Fire Department will be glad to help citizens who have questions about escape plans. To speak to a fire professional, call 363-1910 during normal business hours.

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Grilling Tips

Never use charcoal lighter fluid on a burning fire.
Leave the grill hood open until ignition occurs when lighting gas grills.
Don’t grill near combustible materials such as pine needles or leaves.
Keep a fire extinguisher or charged garden hose accessible.
Always shut off valves to propane tanks when not in use.
Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.

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Garage Safety Tips

Never store gasoline, paints or flammable liquids in your home.
Store gasoline outside your home or in a detached garage or shed in a well-ventilated area, and keep it stored in an approved container. Use it only as a motor fuel, never as a cleaning agent.
Store paint and other flammable liquids (turpentine, mineral spirits, varnishes, camp stove fuels, etc.) in their original containers with tight fitting lids. Store away from appliances, heaters, pilot lights and other sources of flame or heat.
Remember: never smoke near flammable liquids.
Always store propane cylinders outside.
Remove all trash from your house. Never store trash near your furnace or heater.

The Oneida Fire Department will be glad to help citizens who have questions about potential fire hazards in their homes. To speak to a fire professional, call 363-1910 during normal business hours.

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Common Causes of House Fires

There is no time to think… you may have as little as one minute to escape once a fire once it starts. If a fire is not put out in 60 seconds, it should be considered out of control. Every second must be used to get out!

Kitchen Fires:

Kitchen Fires are the most common residential fire. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of kitchen fires and kitchen fires bring about more injuries and property damage than any other cause. Here are some tips from the Oneida Fire Department:

Don’t leave cooking unattended. If you have to leave the stove, get in the habit of turning it off.
Plan ahead. When you set the pan on the stove, have the lid and potholders nearby. If a fire occurs in a pan or pot on top of the stove, put a lid on it! Do not throw water (or salt or flour or anything else) on a grease fire.
Don’t go to sleep while cooking. About 42 percent of the people who die in kitchen fires are asleep when the fire starts.
Keep appliances clean. Built-up grease catches fire easily.
Keep flammable objects clear of the stove or any appliance that heats.
Turn off the stove and oven.
Watch your sleeves – Loose sleeves can dangle into stove burners and catch fire. Wear clothing with snug, or rolled up, sleeves when you cook. Don’t store things on or above your stove; your clothing could catch fire when you lean over burners to reach them.
Turn pot handles in. A pot handle sticking out over the edge of the stove can be bumped or grabbed by a child. Prevent burns and stove-top fires by turning handles in toward the center of the stove.
Heat oil slowly – Heat oil over moderate heat and don’t leave it for a second.
Stay alert – Don’t cook if you’ve been drinking alcohol or are drowsy from medication or fatigue.
Microwave safety – Microwaves stay cool, but the food you cook in them gets very hot. Use pot holders to remove food from microwaves and remove cover from food carefully to prevent steam burns. Keep the inside of your microwave clean.

Cigarettes:

Careless smokers start roughly 35,000 home fires. Those fires cause more than 1200 deaths and lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in property loss. If anyone in your home smokes, provide a lot of large, deep ash trays. Be alert for a smoker who is sick in bed. Never smoke in bed or when feeling drowsy.

Electrical/overloaded outlets:

Replace or repair any frayed cords. Avoid running extension cords across doorways or under carpets. Use plastic outlet covers in homes with small children. Use light bulbs that match the lamps recommended wattage.

Children playing with matches:

Unsupervised children can sometimes get their hands on matches and lighters even if they are hidden. Did you know fires are the number-one cause of death at home for children under six? A child under the age of 15 starts more than one of eight fatal structure fires. Children are at a high risk for burn injuries due to their own experimentation with matches and lighters.

The main reason most children play with fire is curiosity. Young children should be taught not to handle matches and lighters and to “tell an adult” when they find them. Never try to scare children away from fire. Teach children that matches and lighters are tools and not toys, and they are for grown-ups only. Keep all matches and lighters out of reach and out of sight of children.

Talk openly about all aspects of fire safety with children, beginning at a young age.
Teach older children to use fire responsibly, and to bring found matches or lighters to an adult.
Keep matches and lighters up high out of children’s sight and reach, preferably in a locked cabinet
Store flammable liquids properly and away from children.
Keep your property clear of convenient fuels for arsonists, such as brush and rubbish.
Never leave children alone with an open flame.
If you suspect your child is overly curious about fire or is setting fires, get help immediately.

Candles:

The popularity of candles has led to an increase in reported candle fires. To prevent candle fires in your home the Oneida Fire Department would like you to please follow these recommendations

Never leave a burning candle unattended. Extinguish all candles when you leave the room or go to bed.
Never burn a candle on or near anything that can catch fire. Keep burning candles away from furniture, drapes, blinds, wallpaper, bedding, carpets, clothing, books, paper, and flammable decorations.
Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets. Do not place lighted candles where they can be knocked over by children, pets or anyone else.
Don’t place lit candles in windows or near doorways where drafts could bring combustibles in contact with the flame.
Use candleholders that are sturdy, won’t tip over easily, are made of a material that can’t burn, and are large enough to collect dripping wax.
Place candleholders only on stable, uncluttered, and heat-resistant surfaces.
Light candles carefully. Keep your hair and loose clothing away from the flame.
Extinguish candles when they burn down to within two inches of their holder or any decorative material.
Do not extinguish candles with water. The water can cause the hot wax to spatter and can cause glass containers to break. One of the safest ways to extinguish a candle is to use a candlesnuffer, which helps prevent hot wax from spattering.

Space Heaters:

Both electric and kerosene space heaters are major causes of house fires. Each year, on average, two of every three home heating fires in the U.S. and five of every six home heating related deaths, are caused by space heaters. To prevent house fires, space heaters should be kept at least three feet away from anything that can burn. Children and pets also should be kept away from space heaters. Finally, never leave heaters on when you leave home or go to bed.

Holiday Safety:

Use safe tree lights.
Never use electric lights on a metal tree.
Never use damaged lights.
Always unplug lights when leaving home.
Never use candles to decorate a tree.
Choose a sturdy tree stand that won’t tip over.
Keep a watchful eye on children and do not let them play with the wiring or lights.
Carefully plan where your tree will be positioned. Make sure it is at least three feet away from any heat source.
Do not block your access to an exit with a tree.
Safely dispose of a tree when it begins dropping needles. Dried out trees are very dangerous and should not be placed in a garage or up against a house.
When buying a live Christmas tree, choose a fresh tree and water it daily.
Purchase only fire-retardant artificial trees.
Don’t overload electrical outlets.