Back to school- did you feel it?

Hello everyone,

Well the first week of classes is over and we are celebrating with a holiday weekend. Nothing like easing into the new semester!

Did you feel the any of the earthquakes this week? I was in my office on campus Wednesday and felt the 4.1 that occurred in Yorba Linda. I was talking with a student when we heard a bit of a bang, the walls and ceiling shook and then we experienced some slight rolling. Of course everyone wanted to continue just going about their business. In fact some classrooms didn’t even evacuate! 

 

I was at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg MD last May, which is also home to FEMA. While I was there we were evacuated into the basement due to a Tornado Warning. The second Tornado warning, an hour or so later, we stayed above ground, away from the windows (but close enough to look out). The third time, about 7 pm that evening, we moved our beer from the glass walled “garden room” into the masonry pool hall. The fourth time, 11 pm, - we had moved back into the bar- we decided to stay where we were and watch the FEMA Trailers through the glass walls, agreeing that if they flew away we would move. And these were some of the highest trained emergency responders in the country, as well as your humble professor. Embarrassing but true.  Actually I kept my eye on both the FEMA trailers for lift-off and the graveyard next door for…movement. There was lots of lightning and would have been a perfect setting for some zombie action. Just saying. Risks.

 

We had two cohorts that took shelter for each alarm. They told us they had seen to many victims who said “If only….”, and they didn’t want to be in that position.

The attitude “it won’t happen to me” is persistent in our culture. We are very good at giving up responsibility for our own safety and taking risks based upon false assumptions, “Chimpanzees make awesome pets.”;  “Google Navigator doesn’t make mistakes.” “Physics does not apply to fire apparatus or school busses” ”Safety restraints on amusement rides are designed to hold everyone.” “Cats like babies.”   

I was on an airport shuttle when two women, both Professors from a college in Oklahoma entered the van and settled in. One of the ladies turned to the other and said “Mary, be sure to buckle your seatbelt”

“Um, ok, why?”  I kid you not, that was Mary’s response. 

I expected her answer to be “the laws of physics are different in California”, which would have made sense. I would have accepted “because your ricocheting body, in the event of a bad thing, would hurt me- and that odd woman with the dropped jaw sitting behind us and eavesdropping on our conversation.” It was neither.

“Because they have very strict seat belt laws here.”  was her reply.  (“And excellent brain surgeons” was what I thought in my head, because I am quietly sarcastic like that.)

Anyway, my point is that we interpret risk is a little bit warped.  Which is more dangerous- Swimming Poos or Guns? Drunk driving or drunk walking?

 

 

The book (and movie) Freakanomics does a good job of illustrating this. (Let me know if you want to read the book or watch the movie for extra credit

Why do you think that is?

The first week of school is always busy and this semester is no exception.

Class enrollment is down, believe it or not. That means smaller class sizes for you. The college has also added new class sections, full semester and 8-week classes, that do not appear on the printed schedule. If you or someone you know need more units take a look online. 

I have heard that the first Physical Ability Test in September has a lot of openings. This is a really good opportunity to a) get it done if you are finishing your core classes or b) give it a try to find out where you are currently performing at.

There are also still openings in FAC 008B the Physical Ability preparation class. It is an 8 week class that meets 2 hrs each week (Wed night or Friday morning) at the Central Net Training Ground (behind the HBFD station on Gothard between Talbert & Ellis). It is only .3 units, so it is cheap. Get added Tuesday (call the fire tech office) and you can work out Wednesday!

If you are currently volunteering your time, as an explorer, CERT member, or – whatever- get with our Service Learning Program and receive recognition for you work. Participants receive a Presidential Certificate for 100 hours of community service.

The Fire Tech Club will be meeting in room W101 on Tues, Sept 4 at 3:00 pm. We will be registering members, selecting future meeting times and dates, nominating leadership roles, discussing the club constitution and selecting projects and goals for the semester.

Leadership roles that need to be filled include President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Publicist; Interclub Council Representative; Interclub Council Representative Alternate; Project managers. Projects already under consideration include the Hero’s to the Top stair climb, Zombie Run, Small group EMT tutoring, Small Group Cross Fit Training, “Mini-Biddle” relay, movie night, resume workshop, mock oral board.

We will also have club T-Shirts & shorts ($15 each) as well as wristbands ($2) for sale.

 If you can’t make the meeting you can sign up in the Fire Tech Office. Members need to have a current Student Services sticker ($5).

I will be using this blog to share with you my thoughts and observations as we move through the semester. At least once a week, a new post will be added. These posts will include a look at what has been happening at Santa Ana College, opportunities and “breaking news”, current events, real stories, as well as your questions and comments answered.  

You can also find me at www.twitter.com/fireprevgeek and www.facebook.com/firepreventiongeek.

I am dedicated to helping you, our Fire Tech students, to understand more about what we do… and when I can, helping your experience at Santa Ana College be as rewarding as possible.

I hope you enjoy it.     

Cheers

 

HowStuffWorks Videos "How to Survive: Fire"

HowStuffWorks Videos "How to Survive: Fire"

Whether it's a house or forest fire, you've got precious little time to react to a blaze. This video from Discovery Channel's "How to Survive" outlines the best ways to get out safely.

Smoke Detector Rant

Adam Carolla rants about smoke detectors that need to have their batteries changed during a Love Line call. ADULT CONTENT.

Shocking...most kids sleep through regular smoke alarms

A shocking report and demonstration...

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Smoke Alarm (HBO)

Larry is awakened by a smoke detector....

Fire investigators warn of the dangers of improperly installed wood-burning stoves

Fire investigators warn of the dangers of improperly installed wood-burning stoves - Michigan News, Updates, Photos & Video | Detroit, Lansing - MLive.com

VANDALIA -- A Michigan State Police investigator who has probed three fatal house fires this year sparked by wood-burning stoves said residents should always have the devices installed and regularly maintained by a professional to ensure safety.

Two young brothers in Cass County who perished Monday in a fire Monday morning were the fourth and fifth person this year in southwestern Michigan to die in a fire that Sgt. Scott LeRoy has determined was caused by a wood stove. LeRoy said improper installation or maintenance is often a factor when wood stoves are to blame for a blaze.

I think one of the contributing factors with these (recent fires) is ... homeowners or friends are installing or reinstalling wood stoves and chimneys and, quite frankly, making errors," LeRoy said.

For example, the sergeant said a recently installed wood stove that sparked a Feb. 16 fire in Delton and killed 35-year-old Jason Hoffman had been improperly placed on a wood floor instead of a non-combustible surface such as bricks. A new stove was also blamed for a Feb. 10 fire that killed 84-year-old Grace Bower and her son, Donald Bower, 60, at their Burr Oak home.

In the fire Monday that killed 6-year-old Dale Baldwin and 13-year-old Scott Baldwin, LeRoy said a wood stove that was used as a primary heat source "most likely" was the cause.

He said the boys' father, Leonard Baldwin had recently performed some maintenance on the stove's chimney, but Tuesday police did not know if those improvements were a contributing factor in the wood stove igniting the blaze.

Brad Friedt, owner of Friedt Enterprises in Kalamazoo, which specializes in wood stove sales and maintenance, said homeowners should have the pipes of their wood stove and chimney checked monthly and cleaned yearly. Friedt said the most common issue his company finds during wood stove inspections is improper clearance around stove and chimney pipes.

In some instances, he said company officials have inspected stoves where chimney pipes traveling through a ceiling of a home butt up against wood in the attic area and present a potential fire hazard.

Friedt said pipe traveling from a stove up to a ceiling should have an 18-inch clearance all around and a two-inch clearance is needed from where pipe travels from the ceiling through a home's rooftop.

The fire Monday gutted most of the house at 60969 Storey Road. Penn Township firefighters responded to the blaze at about 12:25 a.m. and found Dale and Scott dead inside after extinguishing the flames.

Leonard Baldwin, his girlfriend Billie Jo Allen and six other children made it out of the house safely. Alyia Baldwin, 7, was flown to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, where she was listed in good condition Tuesday morning.

LeRoy said the family slept in the single-story portion of the house where the wood stove was located. Dale and Scott were found by firefighters in the dining room of the house, which adjoined to the living room where they slept, he said.

By the time one of the Baldwin children spotted the fire early Monday, LeRoy said "the fire was already well involved" and family members who made their way to safety "barely got out."

LeRoy said police found one to two smoke detectors in the house, but none had batteries. He said police continue to investigate the blaze, but have no indications of anything suspicious and plan to close the investigation, pending the results of autopsies of Dale and Scott.

Old smoke alarm may have led to woman's death in fire

News: Old smoke alarm may have led to woman's death in fire | alarms, smoke, fire, believe, power - OCRegister.com
Will your 10-year-old smoke alarm fail you?

Investigators say 60-year-old might have escaped her San Juan Capistrano home if her 35-year-old alarm had been operating.

This was sent to me courtesy of Jim C in the online class. Jim comments:

(This)kind of goes along with (our discussion of)complacency.

How many of us took the time to replace the batteries in our smoke detectors in our homes while we were changing our clocks for daylight savings? Put a new one if it needs it or not. If it is older, replace it. If you don’t have one, get one.

We should all take a little tour of our own homes now and again and make them safer and easier to escape from. Fire prevention starts at home. Check out the link, it’s a sad thing to think about a $10 device could have changed the outcome for this family.

I think Jim makes a very valid argument. Read the story and see what you think. The link to the original story has more photos and lots of worthwhile info on smoke detectors.

Thanks Jim!

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – It may have been a fire burning in the floor below Rita Sales' bedroom that killed her, but investigators believe it was a smoke alarm that failed her.

The 60-year-old woman and her dog were in the bedroom when the fire began smoldering in the family room at 10 p.m. Jan. 25, officials said. It took firefighters about an hour to put out the blaze in the two-story home in the 33600 block of Avenida Calita, but investigators believe Sales might have been able to get out if the smoke alarm outside her bedroom had worked.

"We don't believe the smoke alarms were activated," said Chief Investigator Devin Leonard of the Orange County Fire Authority.

Investigators believe Sales' home was equipped with the same hard-wired smoke alarms that were included when the home was first built in 1973. Although the smoke alarms should be replaced every eight to 10 years, officials believe that most of the 400-plus homes in the same tract, like Sales' home, are using the same, ineffective alarms.

This Saturday, about a dozen firefighters are expected to be sent door to door in the tract where Sales lived to inform residents about the need to replace smoke alarms that could be more than 30 years old. The simple practice of replacing the alarms and checking the battery power could save lives, said Laura Blaul, Fire Authority fire marshal.

Hard-wired smoke alarms are connected to the home's power supply and use a battery as a backup. Although batteries should be replaced every six months, the entire smoke alarm needs to be replaced every 10 years. Because they are connected to the home itself, many homeowners have an incorrect notion that hard-wired alarms don't have to be replaced, like battery-power-only detectors, she said.

In the past six years, about 70 percent of fires in the county have been in homes equipped with ineffective smoke alarms, Blaul said.

Click HERE to read the rest of the story. It has lots of good info in it!

Newspaper Carrier Alerts Family to Fire

The Associated Press: Newspaper Carrier Alerts Family to Fire

File this under...we don't need no stinkin' smoke detector!

LENOIR CITY, Tenn. (AP) — A family in eastern Tennessee credits a newspaper carrier with saving their lives from a fire that was consuming their log cabin — and they weren't even subscribers.

"I know that woman will be rewarded in heaven one day," Charlene Dunsmore said of the 29-year-old carrier, Carston Jane McKee.

McKee was driving her route for The Knoxville News Sentinel on Saturday morning when she spotted flames on the porch of the Dunsmores' home on a country road. She was about 45 minutes earlier than usual because of an early press run.

McKee called 911 but didn't wait for a response.

"I ran to the log cabin and started beating on the windows," she said. "As soon as the lady opened up the front door, the fire was right next to the door."

Dunsmore, her husband, Shawn, and their 8-year-old son, James Paul "J. P." Dunsmore, fled the house barefoot but unscathed, though their two poodles died in the blaze, which quickly swept through their two-year-old home.

"We can't thank her enough," Shawn Dunsmore's aunt, Mary Ruth Dunsmore, said of McKee. "She went above and beyond. They're alive today because of what she did."

McKee remained at the scene for nearly an hour answering authorities' questions before resuming her paper route.

"It could have been anybody," she said.

Sons that Dad ‘forgot’ in fire

icWales - Sons that Dad ‘forgot’ in fire
Another tragic story. Click here for more information on Alchohol and Fire Death Rates.

A FATHER-OF-TWO who had been drinking before a blaze tore through his flat “forgot” his young sons were asleep in a bedroom, an inquest was told yesterday.

After he had left his home to raise the alarm the lifeless bodies of Konnor Owen, three, and brother Kyal, four, were recovered by firefighters.

At an inquest into the tragedy yesterday their father Michael Thomas admitted he may have fallen asleep while a cigarette was still alight following a drinking session at the property with two friends. North West Wales coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones, recording a verdict of accidental death, said though it was not the job of an inquest to apportion blame it was “clear from the circumstances where the blame lay”.

The inquest heard how Mr Thomas and his friends had ordered a taxi to bring back 32 cans of beer to the flat before the deaths on September 2.

Mr Thomas told the inquest, in Llangefni, on Anglesey, he had no recollection of how much he had drunk before the fire. “I remember putting the children to bed [about 9pm], but after we started drinking I can’t remember what we did. I don’t know how much I had to drink.”

Mr Pritchard Jones asked, “Do you think it’s possible you could have fallen asleep with a cigarette remaining alight?”

“I could have done, yes,” Mr Thomas answered.

Forensic scientist Stephen Andrews said he believed a “smouldering cigarette being dropped” onto the sofa was the most likely cause of the flat fire at Llanfaethlu, on Anglesey.

He told the inquest the most likely scenario was that after his two friends had left Mr Thomas had woken to find the sofa on fire and had attempted to battle the flames with his T-shirt.

After leaving the flat he spoke to a taxi driver and two women who had parked near the property.

One of the women, Bethan Parry, told him to go and warn his landlord of the blaze.

The other woman, Rhian Richardson, later heard the two boys’ screams and mounted a failed rescue attempt with taxi driver Mark Barker.

Mrs Parry, Mrs Richardson and Mr Barker all told the inquest they believed Mr Thomas had forgotten about Konnor and Kyal.

It was only when Mr Thomas returned moments later and he was told of the boys’ presence in the flat that he realised his mistake, they said. The inquest heard he fought his way back up to the children’s bedroom, but the youngsters had left this room and headed for the lounge, probably in search of their father, where the fire was at its most intense.

Mr Andrews said had they remained in their room they probably would have survived long enough to be rescued by firefighters.

Mr Thomas smashed a window in the room to enable him to breathe before spending up to five minutes searching for the boys. After realising they were not in the room he leapt from a first floor window.

The fire investigation that followed the blaze recovered two smoke alarms from under the kitchen sink that were not being used when the blaze took hold. The flat also had two fire safety doors between the lounge and the boys’ bedroom, which the inquest heard may have been left open. One of the doors had a self-closing device that had never been fitted.

Mr Pritchard Jones said, if used properly, both the smoke alarms and the fire safety doors might have saved the boys’ lives.

Home office pathologist Dr Brian Rodgers said the boys died as a result of carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide poisoning – fumes created by the fire.

Teen escapes burning home- but no water available to fight fire!

The smoke detectors and exit plan worked.....but what happened to the water?

A 17-year-old boy jumped out a window and called 911 early this morning after a fire engulfed his home on Kent's East Hill.

Around 3 a.m., the teen was awakened by the sound of smoke detectors going off and got out of the house in the 11400 block of Southeast 281st Street, according to Kent fire officials. When firefighters arrived on the scene at 3:10 a.m., they found the house fully engulfed in flames.

Because there aren't any fire hydrants in the neighborhood, firefighters had to use a truck to shuttle water to the blaze from a hydrant about a half-mile away, said fire Capt. Kyle Ohashi.

Fire Fighters Are Knocking At Your Door

SOONEWS.CA - Fire Fighters Are Knocking At Your Door

Sault Ste. Marie Fire Service will commence their annual In-Service “Fire Safety Awareness” campaign on May 22, 2007 through to September 27, 2007.

Uniformed firefighters with identification will be knocking on doors of homes throughout the city. Crews will provide information concerning residential fire safety and ensure home owners understand that it is their responsibility.

The Ontario Fire Code requires that all residential occupancies have a working smoke alarm installed on all storeys.

This year’s in-service campaign will be conducted from Monday through Thursday – 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

5-Year-Old Who Died In Fire May Have Been Home Alone

5-Year-Old Who Died In Fire May Have Been Home Alone - Local News Story - WCAU | Philadelphia

Flames broke out just after 8 p.m. inside the home near 19th and Carpenter streets on Monday.

It took firefighters about 15 minutes to bring the blaze under control, but officials said the severely burned girl was later pronounced dead at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Fire investigators said the blaze started after someone left food cooking on the stove.

Philadelphia police told NBC10 they are also investigating if the young child was home alone.

“She was,” Maisha Watkins said. “They didn't pull nobody out but her. Her family was over there.”

Fire Department Lt. Michael Grant said a 5-year-old should not be isolated from the rest of the family.

“If someone is cooking, stay with the minor,” he said.

Fire Lt. Michael Grant also said this is the 26th fire fatality this year where no working smoke alarms were found on the gutted properties.

Firefighters handed alarms out to the community Tuesday afternoon.

Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers asked anyone who lives in Philadelphia and doesn't have one to call the Smoke Detector Hotline at 215-686-1176 to get theirs for free.

"Our whole organization is sick of this. We're upset about it. We want folks to catch on. We know that people are starting to catch on, but we need everybody to get it," Ayers said.

Baby Girl Killed In West Philadelphia Fire

kyw.com - Baby Girl Killed In West Philadelphia Fire
This fire was started by two children, 3 & 5 yrs old, playing with matches on their bed. Neither of the two smoke detectors in the home worked...one was missing a battery, the other had a battery but it was dead.
The family didn't have an emergency escape plan...and although the two adults and the two children made it out...no one remembered the 14 month old baby-- who ulitmately died in the fire.

"Stand by your Pan".....What to do in a Kitchen Fire- Today Show

Click here to watch the video of a kitchen fire demonstration that aired on the Today show. Good tips! Nice demo!!

Family die in home fire

The News-Press: Local & State

SATSUMA -- A man and his wife, and two of their children died in a mobile home fire in Putnam County overnight.

The fire happened on Oklahoma Avenue in Satsuma, just south of Palatka.

Relatives identified the victims as Keith and Roxanne Comer, and their children, Keith Comer Jr.,3, and Ryan Blackwelder, 10.

Weston Weeks, 10, is being treated for second-degree burns to his face and arm. Two others are being treated for smoke inhalation at the Putnam County Medical Center, and two are hospitalized in good condition at Shands Gainesville.

Fire investigators say ten people from two families lived at the home. Kelsey Comer, 5, managed to escape unharmed when the fire started just after 2 a.m.

Firefighters say Keith Comer saved children by throwing them out the window of the burning home before collapsing in the fire.

"They found him by the window with the baby in his arms," said Frances Maynard.

It took fire crews more than two hours to get a handle on the fire. They say an additional roof built on top of the roof of the mobile home is just one of the reasons it took firefighters so long to get to the blaze.

10 yr old boy dies in fire at grandparents’ Hartford home

West Bend boy dies in fire at grandparents’ Hartford home
Fire started on the couch where Grandpa was sleeping. The article mentions that

"The neighbors and firefighters all made some very strong efforts to try to save the child," Schmidt said. "Every-one did what they could."

They certainly did what they could to save the child...after the fire broke out...but what about before the fire started? Where were the smoke detectors ($5 each)....and what about an escape plan (a conversation...maybe 10 minutes of practice)? The life of a grandpa and grandson....well you know....priceless. Another tragic learning opportunity.

Six Die in Rural House Fire; 4 in Apt Fire

News10.net - Six Die in Rural House Fire
This was in Shasta County. The fire was discovered by passerbys.

Apartment building fire in Memphis, Tenn., kills three kids, one adult

Fire officials say the bodies of a 40-year-old man, an eight-year-old girl, and two boys ages five and six were found inside a burned-out apartment after the overnight blaze.
Eight other people, including five children, have been treated for smoke inhalation and minor burns.

Boy, 9, dies in fire

MONTREAL - A nine-year-old boy is dead and his mother, 29, is in critical condition in a hospital following an overnight fire in their ground-floor apartment in Montreal.
The child's life might have been saved if the apartment had been equipped with a working smoke detector, a firefighter said.

"If there had been a smoke detector, we wouldn't be standing here talking about a fatal fire," Gilles Ducharme, fire department chief of operations, said as he paused in the charred doorway leading to the burnt-out flat.

Firefighters say the blaze started accidentally after a lamp short-circuited and set fire to a living-room sofa.

An upstairs tenant, who awoke just after midnight to the shrill sound of his own smoke detector, said he tried to help the desperate mother save her son, but was driven back by dense smoke billowing from the apartment.

Fire Safety PSA-Silence can be deadly

Home safety psa, 41 seconds. Corny buy cute.

White Paper Clarifies NFPA 72 Smoke Detector Spacing

White Paper Clarifies NFPA 72 Smoke Detector Spacing — Industry News | Electrical Contracting Products - ECPZone.com

The results of the study and accompanying code changes are expected to reduce the overall cost of fire protection systems in beam ceiling applications without compromising occupant safety. Based on the results, the report authors proposed language for addition to the body and annex of NFPA 72. The language clarifies how smoke detectors shall be placed on ceilings with beams and/or joists. These changes are expected to be incorporated into the 2007 edition of NFPA 72, which will be released in late 2006, to quell some of the debate surrounding the current requirements for smoke detectors on beam ceilings.

Fire Kills Elderly Woman Inside Her Home

Fire Kills Elderly Woman Inside Her Home - News Story - WBAL Baltimore Apparently they kept Grandma in the utility room and the only working smoke detector was in the .....garage!?! WTF?!? Oh yeah..it was an old house and smoke detectors weren't required. Sigh.