Hot Flashes: The Latest News from Ingomar

WINTER WEATHER SAFETY
The trick is to stay warm, but not too warm
The International Association of Fire Chiefs conducted a survey of media reports and determined that in just the first HALF of February 2007, there were 59 house-fire FATALITIES in the United States, and that the primary cause of these fatal fires are home heating devices.

Electric heaters, wood burners, kerosene space heaters and fireplaces are the leading culprits, but these devices are not inherently unsafe if used properly. Candles are a little riskier by nature, but the fact is most of these "winter-oriented" fires are preventable if key safety measures are followed by a pound or two of common sense:

	Maintain heating devices according to the manufacturer's recommendations, and follow their instructions for proper use
	Don't Leave heating devices unattended while in use, including while you sleep--and especially if you like to have a few Adult Beverages in the evening
	Keep EVERYTHING (bedding, drapes, furniture etc.) at least 3 feet away from these devices while in use
	Check your gas lines and fittings for leaks. If they don't pass the "smell test," have them repaired
	Keep an eye on the kids around the fireplace. Kids love to fool with fire, and the results of that can be astonishingly sad.

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	Clean and maintain chimneys & fireplaces--burn seasoned wood or "fake logs" to keep creosote build-up under control. Creosote is the stuff that usually catches in a chimney fire, and it should be cleaned annually at least. You can hire someone to do this, or get yourself a chimney cleaning tool at your local hardware store (Ingomar VFC bought theirs at Trader Horn, but it's better if you keep your chimney clean so that we don't have to do it for you after it catches fire)
	Use a screen or fireplace glass in front of your fireplace to keep the spitzenspärks INSIDE the firebox, not out on your rug or angora PJs
	Candles are great for setting fire to drapes--and to your bathrobe when you absently reach over them. Same goes for the stove on which your cocoa water is boiling. This goes triple if children or other pets are around. They make some very realistic battery-powered candles these days, which are flameless and safe
	Got kids around? Supervise, supervise, supervise. Can't stress that enough.
	If all that seems bothersome, then just remember to STOP, DROP, and ROLL when the time comes, which it eventually will.

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If your home doesn't have smoke alarms installed...why not? There's no excuse. These things are cheap, readily available, and they SAVE LIVES EVERY DAY. Get some. Try for one per floor and one outside sleeping quarters. Maintain them--replace the batteries every time you do the daylight-savings shuffle. Test them once in a while using the "test" button they all have.

Carbon Monoxide gas ("CO") is colorless, odorless and very poisonous. It sticks to your red blood cells and you may get a lethal dose before you even begin to feel ill, and by then just getting out into fresh air may not help much. CO alarms cost a little more than smoke detectors, about $20 to start. Reread the first bit of this bullet point to help you decide whether you "can" or "cannot" afford a CO detector for your home/family.

CO is produced by inefficient or incomplete combustion, and builds up in homes due to improper ventilation, which is an outstanding reason to check ALL of your gas-burning appliances at least once each year to make sure they're working aiight. If you don't know how to check for proper function, then a call to the Furnace ~~Man~~ Person is money well spent

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Make certain you have a family escape plan, and remember to tell your family about it. Practice it with them, even. Have a designated place nearby where you'll all meet if you need to evacuate the house individually (but preferably NOT in your own yard, which in the event of a house fire will soon fill up with firefighters and equipment)

Once you get out of a burning house, don't go back inside for any reason. Possessions can be replaced. You're not equipped to do search & rescue in a burning building, and you'll probably die trying.

Home sprinkler systems aren't free, but they have been shown to reduce the chances of death in a house fire by 82 percent when working smoke detectors are also present.