Modern houses burn faster!

Since 1977 number of home fires has gone down by nearly 50%, but amount of total damage has gone up about seven folds.

One can say inflation, bigger homes, higher valuations and homes being built closer together are to blame, but there is actually something else going on.  Shockingly newer/modern houses burn about 8 times faster compared to an older home!

Flashover-intense heat that causes the entire room to be engulfed in flames now occurs less than five minutes after the fire starts, but it used to take about 30 minutes.  Fast fires give less time to respond and contain the fire.  Here is why modern homes burn faster:

1. Building materials- 2x4 are no longer actually 2x4.  These days 2x4 actually measure 1.5x3.5.  Less material to burn means faster collapse time.  Instead of natural wood we now use particle boards and other man made materials.  Not only that these modern materials are less dense and but they also contain petroleum, so naturally they will burn up quickly.
2. Open layouts- less compartmentalization will allow fire to spread more quickly.
3. Synthetic furnishings-Almost everything in our homes (carpets, drapes, cushions, pillows, mattresses) now is made of synthetic materials.  Synthetic materials burn up quicker than traditionally used materials, things we used in the past.
4. Window construction- what fuels fire is oxygen and much of it will come through windows.  New windows, on average, burn three times faster than old windows.  Average fail time for newer windows is about 4 mins 30 secs.  Average fail time for older windows is little over 16 mins.

What can you do with this information?  Obviously you want a sounds structure, safe home, but you also want to be able to afford it, that’s why we have non-traditional building materials- to build easier, faster, cheaper.  But if you care and can afford, building with metal, concrete, brick, and solid wood, will keep your home and family safer.  Choosing a fire-resistant window is extremely important; steel framing and tempered glass is the best choice when thinking about fire safety.

August issue of National Underwriter had an article written by Sheila E Courtney, Director of Risk Management at PURE.  This blog post is a summary of Sheila's thorough article.

Easy things we should all do to prevent fires in residential structures.

Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety comes up with an annual report that gives us valuable insight regarding fire and fire related issues.

Not surprisingly, the number one and number two leading causes of fire in residential structure are from heating and cooking.  Heating and cooking is responsible for 78% of all residential structural fires in 2014.

Accidents like these are unfortunate, at least to say.  No matter how many times we hear about a fire, the feeling of surprise, terror, and fear is there.  This, I think, is something we can all agree on.  But our actions don't seem to be align with this, maybe because human actions not always include reason and logic, maybe because we are too busy, maybe because we are not busy enough? 

Many, if not all, residential fires can be prevented, if we can do the following: 

1.  Clean your chimney regularly.  It's expensive, but not as expensive as dealing with fire loss.  (How many times chimney should be clean depends on few factors, talk to your professional chimney cleaner.)

2.  Have a fire extinguisher and know how to use it.  Try practicing and don't stop until you feel confident you can pull a trigger.  Every cooking fire can be prevented if fire extinguisher is readily available and used correctly. 

3.  Make sure your smoke and CO2 detectors are operational.  Use photoelectric type smoke detector as they are better at detecting smoldering fire.

This is not part of the fire safety report, but last month one of my clients had a big fire.  Fire was caused by a scented plug-in that was in a bathroom.  Fire Marshall/Fire Investigator told us that because the bathroom door was closed that prevented fire to rapidly spreading and gave enough time to fire department to respond.  Fire Marshall's exact words were "this little hollow door save the entire building, this is what saved your building."  When I got back home I threw away scented plug-in from our bathroom, and told my wife to always close the doors all rooms. 

An actual photo from the scene of a fire in an apartment.

Report is available for everyone: http://firesafety.vermont.gov/sites/firesafety/files/pdf/Newsletters%20%26%20FM%20reports/Reports/2014_VT-FM_report.pdf

Fire Safety- fire prevention from fire caused by cigarettes.

In lieu of upcoming winter I thought wood stove safety would be an appropriate blog subject, but this post is not about that.  Blog is still about fire safety, just not about wood stove; it's about preventing fires caused by cigarettes.

Surprising fact:  Smoking is #1 cause of fire related deaths in United States.

This in itself is surprising, but what makes it even more surprising is the fact that number of people smoking has been on a steady decline.  

So if you are knowingly and slowly killing yourself this blog is for you!  These tips will help you not accidentally kill yourself, but rather help you with your plan to a slow, and costly death.
·      Smoke outside- most home fires caused by smoking start inside the home.  It's better to smoke outside.  Ashtrays should be set on something sturdy and hard to ignite.  Putting cigarettes in a can filled with sand is a good idea.
·      Whenever you smoke, use deep, sturdy ashtray
·      Make sure cigarettes and ashes are out- Soak cigarette butts and ashes in water before throwing them away.  Do not toss hot cigarette butts or ashes in trash.
·      Lastly but still just as sexy and appealing as previous points, be alert- if you are sleepy or have been drinking or have been taken medicine that makes you drowsy, put your cigarette out first. 

Combining these tips with basic logic will make sure you don't die accidentally, but rather on your terms.

Use tips above not to have this happen to you.