By Mike Higgins

mhiggins@keepmecurrent.com

Home improvement projects should not just be limited to improving the look of a home. Homeowners should also take time for projects that keep their homes safe from fire this fall.

Buxton Fire Chief Jeff Grinnell said homes should have an adequate number of fire extinguishers, and homeowners should make sure the extinguishers are all in proper working order.

“Everyone should have a fire extinguisher on every level of a home,” Grinnell said.

Westbrook fire inspector Lt. Chuck Jarrett said other than installing fire extinguishers, there are several simple things homeowners can do to make their homes safer.

The biggest thing a homeowner can do is to install smoke detectors that are hard wired into the home’s electrical system, Jarrett said. Statistics provided by the fire department show that roughly 80 percent of all house fires nationwide occur in homes where there are no working smoke detectors. “Smoke detectors are the number one thing to save lives,” Jarrett said.

A hard-wired detector has an advantage over a traditional battery operated detector because there is no danger of the batteries failing without warning. Jarrett said the hard-wired detectors are often interconnected with each other, so that if one detector goes off, every detector in the home will go off. This is particularly valuable in a basement fire, Jarrett said, when occupants in other areas of the house might not hear the basement detector until it is too late.

If a hard-wired detector system is impractical, the rule of thumb is to check smoke detectors twice a year and make sure the batteries are working.

Fire officials advise that this should be done in the spring and the fall when the clocks are changed. This fall, homeowners should check their smoke detector batteries on Oct. 30 when the clocks are set back.

Grinnell said it was important to have smoke detectors all throughout the house. However, he said it was just as important to have carbon monoxide detectors as well.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that is toxic to humans and animals. The United States Fire Administration estimates approximately 480 people are killed each year due to carbon monoxide poisoning, and another 15,000 are treated for exposure to carbon monoxide each year.

Carbon monoxide can get into a home from a variety of sources. Gas-fired appliances, charcoal grills, wood burning furnaces or fireplaces, or motor vehicles running in an adjacent garage are some sources of the gas. Prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide can be fatal, and at lower levels of exposure, the symptoms can be similar to the flu.

The U.S. Fire Administration recommends homeowners should install at least one carbon monoxide detector near the areas where people sleep. The administration also recommends having a qualified professional check all fuel burning appliances, furnaces and chimneys at least once per year. In addition, homeowners should never use an oven to heat the house and never use a charcoal grill inside the house.

Special care should be taken with cars as well. Cars should never be left running in a garage, even if the door is left open. Fire administration officials said even if a garage door is left open it will not allow for enough air circulation to prevent carbon monoxide buildup, and over time that can cause the dangerous gas to build up in the house.

If the carbon monoxide detector goes off, homeowners should shut off all appliances and ventilate the house by opening all of the doors and windows. Once the house is ventilated, homeowners should call the local fire department to investigate the source of the alarm and have any problems fixed right away by a qualified professional.