DATE OF INCIDENT: 10/8/2009
INCIDENT TYPE: Information
INCIDENT ADDRESS: 44 W. Riverside Ave.
CITY: Spokane
STATE: WA
ZIP: 99201
NARRATIVE: Fire Prevention Week: "Don't Get Burned!"
As a community, we have the opportunity to learn from the past so that we can make things safer in the present.
Two historic fires began on the night of October 8, 1871. Most Americans are familiar with the Great Chicago Fire that started 138 years ago this week, killed 250 people and left 100,000 persons homeless. That fire is now commemorated with national Fire Prevention Week. But few people know that the Great Peshtigo Fire began the very same night near Green Bay Wisconsin, burned 1.2 million acres of land and resulted in the most deaths by fire in U.S. history. Officials were able to document 1200 fatalities but the survival of an additional 1200 persons could not be determined.
Today we have more safeguards and resources in place for preventing the scale of fire loss that happened in October 1871. However, we know that right now there are no smoke detectors working in about 20% of American homes. We also know that a significant number of homes are equipped with smoke detectors that have at least a 30% failure rate because they are more than ten years old. There are also homes were the good intention of replacing smoke detectors has never been accomplished. Yet no one knows when a fire might begin.
Last week nine-year old twin girls from Yelm WA were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with critical burns to their bodies and airways caused by a relatively small house fire. They were initially trapped in their bedroom before rescued through a window by a family member. However, they most likely would not have suffered any injury had the smoke detectors that were still packed in boxes actually been installed in the home.
Working smoke detectors are life savers. Every home should have at least one smoke alarm on every level of the house. Spokane Fire Department recommends that every household also be protected by photoelectric detectors (which are must faster at detecting smoldering fires than the more common, ionization detectors.) Fire Prevention Week is our national reminder that we can keep our household safer by installing enough working smoke detectors. Check to make sure that batteries are working and no detectors are more than 10 years old. For additional information, call Spokane Fire Department at 625-7058.
PROBABLE CAUSE: N/A
DAMAGE EXTENT: N/A
DOLLAR LOSS:
FIREFIGHTER RESPONSE:
MUTUAL AID: None Given
For more information on this release, please call (509)625-7002 and/or check out the SFD Blog at www.spokanefire.blogspot.com
END OF RELEASE
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