Fire officials step up prevention efforts
Posted on Friday, April 4, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/63802/
The Fayetteville Fire Department is expanding its fire prevention program in light of a recent house fire that killed five Bentonville children.
“ This is something we plan to roll out in the next couple of weeks, ” said Fayetteville Fire Marshal David Williams. “ We’ve been planning it for a while, but in light of everything that’s happened, I thought this might be a good time to raise awareness. ”
Kristan Frazier, 13; Kimberly Frazier, 11; Katelyn Mahmens, 9; Kaila Frazier, 8; and Kiya Frazier, 5; died in a fire at their home, 402 S. W. B St., on March 25.
According to an article published March 27 in the Benton County Daily Record, the children’s parents escaped the home after being awoke by a smoke detector.
A space heater found in the upstairs area was sent to the Arkansas Crime Laboratory. Firefighters found the remnants of a smoke detector upstairs but did not find any batteries. The cause of the fire has not been determined, but fire officials suspect it was accidental.
Williams said the Fayetteville Fire Department hopes to prevent similar incidents by increasing fire prevention awareness.
“ As far as expanding our services, we’ll start a program for home safety evaluations, ” he said. “ Anyone who wants one could call our office and request us to come out and we’ll do a walk-through survey of their home to make sure it’s safe. ”
Williams said the Fire Department has conducted home evaluations in the past but never publicized or established an official program until now. As part of the new service, he said, firefighters will help residents identify potential fire hazards in their homes.
As part of its original fire prevention outreach, the department will continue to provide free smoke detectors. The program was made possible through donations from area businesses.
“ We want to make sure that anyone who requests a smoke detector can get one, ” Williams said. “ We’ll even help people install them for free. ”
According to the National Fire Prevention Agency, roughly half of home fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms.
Williams said firefighters will also help residents check smoke detector batteries. Fire officials recommend checking batteries twice a year, he said.
Also promoting fire prevention awareness is the Washington County Fire Marshal’s Office.
The agency received $ 2, 500 from Nationwide Insurance late last year to purchase 512 smoke alarms for area volunteer fire departments to distribute to residents.
“ Our target group is low-income residents and homes with multiple children, ” said John Jenkins, Washington County fire marshal. “ If we have any leftover, we give them to whoever needs one and they’re free. ”
In addition to free installation assistance, Jenkins said the Fire Marshal’s Office will conduct free walk-through home inspections to identify potential fire hazards.
“ If we see something, we’re not going to write you up for it, ” he said. “ We’ll just make recommendations and point out potential problems. ”
Jenkins pointed out that space heaters, extension cords, power strips and candles are some of the most common household fire hazards.
According to the National Fire Prevention Agency, during 2002, candles caused an estimated 18, 000 reported structure fires in the United States, resulting in 130 deaths, 1, 350 injuries and $ 333 million in estimated property damage.
“ We also suggest having a small fire extinguisher in the kitchen for grease fires because that’s about the number-one leading cause of house fires, ” Jenkins said. “ Oftentimes, people panic and want to throw water on it, but that’s about the same as pouring gasoline over a fire. If they just had a small fire extinguisher nearby, they’d be able to put it out quickly. ”
Washington County residents in need of smoke detectors or home inspections can contact their local volunteer fire department or call the Fire Marshal’s Office at 444-1723. Fayetteville residents can contact the Fayetteville Fire Department’s Education Outreach Center at 718-7630.
Additional safety information can be found online at www. nfpa. org or www. sparky. org.