Fire Safety
by an
Experienced Forensic Fire
Investigator and LTU Graduate Student
Roger Harrison CFI, BAS, EET
As a
forensic fire investigator with 13 years of work experience, I can confidently
say I have seen a lot of death, destruction, and devastating effects of what a
fire can leave behind in its unforgiving and relentless wake. The objective of
this blog is to reveal and inform the readers the lessons learned in fire safety
from the perspective of someone who has been there up close and personal. My experience ranges from residential/automotive
fire and property loss, commercial fire and property loss, industrial fires and
explosions as well as in house laboratory testing with full scale
reconstruction. Special considerations for this blog will be residential,
commercial, and industrial fires.
The best and
most respected qualifications for a fire investigator are to be a certified
fire investigator (CFI) with the International Association of Arson Investigators. The requirements are: a minimum of 5 years of
experience, training and education. The certification is no walk in the park. Technically, I am considered a “private
sector” fire investigator; this means my experience does not originate from the
fire department, although some private sector investigators are retired public
sector fire fighters or investigators.
My experience comes from working for a forensic engineering firm that
served as one of the nation’s top forensic consulting firms. The cases assigned
were located in many different states across the country and required a
rigorous travel schedule with many nights away from home. In fact, the CEO was the second highest in
overnight stays with the Marriott Hotel chain in the entire U.S. with a little
over 2/3rds of the year in a hotel room.
RESIDENTIAL FIRE LOSS AND LESSONS
LEARNED
First and foremost,
the most important item to learn is that the building codes and laws are
created by some of the smartest and wisest people in the industry. When examining a fire scene, all fire
investigators, engineers, and court rooms use and build their foundation of
knowledge on the building codes. These
codes are in place for us all (the entire public) to use as a reference to keep
us safe. The National Fire Protection Agency
(NFPA) reports that the number one cause of residential deaths is from careless
smoking. The number one cause of house
fires in 2012 is from cooking equipment fires or mostly, unattended stove top
cooking that overheats, erupts into flames and then proceeds to spread
throughout the structure. Thanksgiving
is the peak day for cooking related fires. [1]
To prevent a disaster in your kitchen like this one…. Do Not Leave Food Cooking Unattended.
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For those of
you that have never witnessed a grease fire on the stove top it can be very
intimidating. The flame extension from a
grease fire will extend from the frying pan beyond the height of a typical 8
foot ceiling and then roll across the ceiling.
The fire quickly attacks the cabinets above and within moments you have
a serious raging fire that is out of control.
Here is a
top ten list I have developed to help avoid residential fires:
1.
Always have modern up to date smoke/
carbon monoxide detectors throughout the house, including in each bedroom- Code requirements now require smoke
detectors inside all bedrooms. Since many people sleep with their bedroom
doors closed as recommended, if a fire starts in the bedroom, then it will take
a much longer period of time for smoke to penetrate through the door and into
the hallway. You must have smoke detectors in hallways and bedrooms.
2. Never leave food cooking unattended – Many people develop the philosophy that since they
have never had a fire in the past, they draw conclusions such as “I leave my
food unattended often and I have never had a fire!” These people are only one
mistake away from having a kitchen like the one above, and are the most common
people I interview after the fire occurs.
3. Never go to sleep or leave the house with appliances operating- You need only to look no further
than the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on-line to view the many
recalls that are out there on appliances.
Most people are aware of clothes dryer fires, but did you know
dishwasher fires occur often as well? Be
safe, when you leave the home or go to sleep, turn them all off.
4.
Careless Smoking – I have been to many fires where the
careless smoker has died in the fire they caused, this is a sad and unnecessary
occurrence, however, there have been cases when the careless smoker survives
and others die as a result. The pain on
the faces of these people is almost unbearable.
Please don’t smoke, and if you do, be safe. Don’t smoke in a position where you could fall
asleep.
5.
Space Heaters – Placement of space heaters too close
to combustible materials occurs often when people need to stay warm on a cold
winter night. Unfortunately, many people
have lost their lives as a result.
Please read and follow the instructions recommended by the manufacturer. Most heaters have the instructions on the
heater, if not, look them up on-line, it’s all there at your fingertips now.
6.
Improper Use of Extension Cords – This is a problem everyone has, even
the wisest, experienced, and highest educated still use extension cords
improperly. The most common fires I have observed during the summer months are
people trying to operate a window air conditioner with an extension cord that
is too small and too long. Additionally,
during the winter, operating space heaters in a similar manner. These types of appliances are high powered
(current consuming) appliances. They
will require at least an 8-10 gauge extension cord. These cords are very large in diameter and
expensive. Your life, however, is priceless.
7.
Candle Use – If I had my way I would eliminate
candles completely. They are often used
and left unattended. I have seen almost
every possible way a candle fire has started and nearly 100% of the time the
person was either sleeping or not attending the lit candle properly. On a lighter note, if a person burns many
candles they can cause an effect known as ghosting. This leaves a sooty residue on all cooler
surfaces throughout the house such as toilet tanks, bath tub, and exterior
walls. Candle soot is very difficult to
clean.
8.
Proper Storage and use of flammable
liquids – In the
same way gun owners should lock their weapons and store them in a locked safe
to prevent children from playing with them, parents should look after gasoline
and all flammable liquids in the same way as well. Most flammable liquids have flammable vapors
that are heavier than air. This means
the flammable vapors will stay low to the floor and expand horizontally. If there is an ignition source nearby such as
a water heater then those flammable vapors can be ignited and then flash back
to the liquid where an even larger fire occurs.
9.
Be caring and respectful to people as
much as you can – One
statistic that can never be determined is exactly how many fires occurred out
of a person’s anger, jealousy, vindictiveness, or from revenge with malice in
their heart. This is not a statement to
defend this behavior, however, many fires have occurred and many people have
died out of perpetual anger for each other for one reason or another. It’s easy to make people angry. In fact, some
people find it humorous. Show love,
kindness and respect as much as possible.
Sometimes it can be difficult, but it is very rewarding and you will
find it to be much safer.
10. Education, Education, Education – In 2013 there is really no excuse not to know the answer to
any fire safety question you might have.
There are thousands of web sites, books, and agencies such as the CPSC,
or the NFPA. The local building codes
were written by our best and brightest so we can all have a richer, fuller, and
safer lifestyle. Some of the best and
most informative information I have received has been from the local building
departments (inspectors, engineers, etc.) or at the local fire marshal’s
office. Admittedly, some of the codes can be confusing and call for an accurate
interpretation. I traveled all over the
country and every location has required me to utilize these departments to
acquire information. The local municipalities have always been accommodating and
very helpful.
In summary,
many fires occur in the U.S. every year.
There is never a 100% guarantee that you won’t have a fire. You may, however, reduce your risk
substantially by increasing your knowledge of how fires start and learning the
correct methods to prevent them. Stay safe!
