# Start 2004 with a positive attitude towards fire safety **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 1, 2004, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-2004-with-a-positive-attitude-towards-fire-safety/222085 "2004-01-01T06:48:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-2004-with-a-positive-attitude-towards-fire-safety/222085/1 "2004-01-01T06:48:27Z")
Apologies in advance if thumping the tub offends you, but apparently not enough people are listening. Candle fires are at a 20 year high, according to the NFPA. In 2002, there were 389,000 reported home fires in the United States, resulting in 2,670 deaths, 13,650 injuries and $5.9 billion in direct property damage. (NFPA) One-half of home fire deaths occur in the 6% of homes with no smoke alarms. (NFPA) Why do smoke alarms fail? Most often because of missing, dead or disconnected batteries. (NFPA) **108** firefighters died in the line of duty in 2003. (USFA) Do yourself and your family a favor: Check your smoke detectors. If you don’t have any, buy them, or contact a local fire station. Some will install detectors free of charge. If your detectors are 10 years old or you don’t know for sure how old they are, replace them. Get rid of extension cords. They are not a substitute for building wiring. Have your chimney cleaned annually. Store flammable liquids/gases appropriately. Please have a safe 2004, and feel free to address any questions here or via email. If the thought _‘It won’t happen to me’_ passes through your head, **prepare to become a statistic.** ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-2004-with-a-positive-attitude-towards-fire-safety/222085/2 "2004-01-01T13:47:24Z")
Thanks for the info, **dances**. The “weak battery” alarm went off in the upstairs fire detector yesterday, so I went ahead and replaced the batteries in all three. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-2004-with-a-positive-attitude-towards-fire-safety/222085/3 "2004-01-01T14:08:13Z")
It’s always a good idea to check/change the batteries in your smoke detectors (at least) twice a year, and when time changes to or from Daylight Savings is an easily remembered time to do it…change the clock, check or change the batteries. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-2004-with-a-positive-attitude-towards-fire-safety/222085/4 "2004-01-01T16:39:14Z")
Talk about timely. I woke up this morning and realized that in the living room, I’d left a votive candle burning all night. The good news is, it was in a glass holder inside a glass hurricane on a concrete mantel with nothing else flammable near it. I thought I’d blown all the candles out last night after everyone had left, but I’d missed that one. The really pathetic news is that my uncles and cousins are all Chicago firefighters, and I should know better. Thanks for the reminder. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-2004-with-a-positive-attitude-towards-fire-safety/222085/5 "2004-01-01T17:08:12Z")
I’m astonished at how cavalier many people are about fire safety. We’re talking about FIRE, people, this is serious stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-2004-with-a-positive-attitude-towards-fire-safety/222085/6 "2004-01-01T17:08:37Z")
Extension cords are fine in themselves - they provide the flexibility that wall sockets do not - but **chained** extensions are bad news. Otherwise totally agreed. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-2004-with-a-positive-attitude-towards-fire-safety/222085/7 "2004-01-01T18:41:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by qts \* > \*\*Extension cords are fine in themselves - they provide the flexibility that wall sockets do not - but **chained** extensions are bad news. Otherwise totally agreed. \*\* I must respectfully disagree. Most residential receptacles are protected at 15 amperes, some are protected at 20 amperes. Unless the wire gauge of an extension cord is equal to or greater than that of the installed building wiring, it is now the weakest link and can cause a fire owing to insulation breakdown. Cords are also exposed, e.g. not protected from physical damage as is installed wiring. These are the reasons why the National Electric Code prohibits their use as a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure. (NEC 400.8 (1)-(5)) I’ve used a simple means of determining whether or not a situation is safe involving extension cords: Is the installation temporary? Is the installation attended? By the latter, I’m present while the cord is plugged in, and if not, I’m making sure it’s unplugged. If the answer to either is not a definite yes, a qualified contractor should be engaged to provide installed wiring. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/start-2004-with-a-positive-attitude-towards-fire-safety/222085/8 "2004-01-01T18:45:21Z")
I now have four smoke alarms in my house - one on each top and bottom landing of our two staircases. I change the batteries when I stock up with batteries for Christmas presents.