MEDIA CONTACT: Mark E. Brady, Chief Public Information Officer, 240-508-7930
MEBrady@co.pg.md.us @PGFDPIO and @PGFDNews
Dangerously cold temperatures are in our forecast and your Prince George's County Fire/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department
would like to remind everyone that staying warm in your home without keeping
"Safety First" is one of the leading causes of residential fires.
Cold weather also could be unhealthy if you venture outdoors unprepared.
We are reminding everyone that home fires are more
prevalent in cold weather than in any other time of the year. This is due in
part to an increase in cooking and heating fires. This reminder involves
the safe use of space heaters, general heating safety tips, hypothermia and
frostbite prevention.
Stay Safe
The civilian, career
and volunteer men and women of the Fire/EMS Department want to remind everyone
that fire safety and prevention are especially important during times of cold
temperatures. “Temperatures drop and fires increase,” said Prince
George's County Fire Chief Benjamin M. Barksdale. According to National
Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) statistics space heaters account for about
one third of the home heating fires yet more than 80 percent of the home
heating fire deaths. The Winter Residential Building Fires report
released by the United States Fire Administration (USFA) report that from 2013-2015, an average of 45,900 home heating fires occurred
in the United States each year. These fires caused an annual average of
approximately 205 deaths, 725 injuries and $506 million in property loss.
Cooking and heating are the top causes of fires
during cold weather.
“The winter season
brings the highest number of home fires than any other time of year,” said Fire
Chief Barksdale. “Each winter season, home fires increase in part due to
cooking and heating fires. Fire safety and injury prevention must not be
lost in an effort to stay warm. Stay warm and do so safely. Safety First
ensures everyone goes home.”
The Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department
recommend the following safety tips for space heaters.
Electric Space Heaters
• Buy only heaters
evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory, such as Underwriters
Laboratories (UL).
• Check to make sure
it has a thermostat control mechanism, and will switch off automatically if the
heater falls over.
• Heaters are not
dryers or tables; don't dry clothes or store objects on top of your
heater.
• Space heaters need
space; keep combustibles at least three feet away from each heater.
•
Always unplug your electric space heater when not in use. Turn off
at night or whenever you sleep. - - Never use an extension cord with space
heaters - plug directly into wall socket.
Using a kerosene
heater??? Never
refuel indoors. Remove the kerosene heater outdoors, turn off and wait
for it to cool down before refueling and only use the correct type of fuel.
General Heating Tips
• Furnaces, fireplaces and chimneys should be
cleaned and checked each year by an appropriate professional prior to using.
Clear away any clutter from these heating devices, at least 3 feet away.
• Only use seasoned wood in fireplaces, never
use ignitable liquids to start a fire and do not overload your appliance.
• The 3-foot rule also applies to furnaces and
fireplaces. No combustibles items within 3 feet of these heating
appliances.
• Dispose of fireplace ash into a metal
container and store outdoors away from structures on a concrete
surface. Fireplace ash can ignite a fire days after they have been
discarded.
Finally, ensure your
smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms are working by pushing the test button on
the front cover. If you do not hear an audible warning, replace your
alarm with a new 10-year, tamper proof, with hush feature alarm. Having a
working smoke alarm dramatically increases your chances of surviving a fire. A
working CO detector will protect you and your family from deadly "silent
killer" fumes that may be building up in your home. Remember to
practice a home escape plan frequently with your family.
Residents of Prince George’s County can contact our "Safety
First" smoke alarm program by calling 311. A firefighter will
install a working smoke alarm in your home free of charge.
For additional safety info from the United States Fire
Administration,
Stay Healthy
With colder
temperatures in the forecast for this week, Prince George’s County Fire/EMS and
Health Department are joining in a common voice to remind our residents to
avoid serious health problems that can occur due to prolonged exposure to cold
weather. The two most common conditions are hypothermia and frostbite.
“All residents
must take precautionary actions as a primary defense against injuries and
illness resulting from extreme cold weather conditions,” said Chief Barksdale.
“When exposed to cold weather, our bodies lose heat faster than it can produce
it, resulting in bodily injury, illness, and even death.”
The Fire/EMS
Department advises all residents to check on your elderly relatives and
neighbors to ensure they have adequate heat and protection from the
cold. Limit the amount of time your pet spends
outside. Bring your pets inside when outdoor temperatures are
freezing cold; pets can also contract hypothermia very quickly.
Hypothermia is one of the serious health problems
that can be caused by exposure during cold weather. If a person’s
body temperature drops below 95 degrees, immediately seek medical attention.
In mild cases the
symptoms include:
• Uncontrollable
shivering
• Pale
and cold skin
Other more serious
signs include:
• Confusion
or sleepiness
• Slurred
speech
• Shallow
breathing
• Weak
pulse
• Stiffness
in the arms or legs
• Or,
poor control over body movements
In the case of serious symptoms, contact the victim’s doctor or call 911.
The homeless are a particular concern when there are freezing temperatures.
If you know of a homeless person that could use an offer of assistance to
protect themselves from hypothermia, consider contacting the Homeless Hotline
at 888-731-0999.
In any case where hypothermia
is suspected, until help arrives or the person is seen by a doctor, move the
person to a warm room, warm the body with dry layers of blankets or clothing,
and give warm beverages.
Frostbite refers to actual freezing and subsequent
destruction of body tissue which is likely to occur any time skin temperature
gets much below 32F. The areas most likely to freeze are toes,
fingers, ears, cheeks and the tip of the nose.
Individual at risk for
frostbite include those with impaired circulation, the elderly, the very young
and anyone who remains outside for prolonged periods. The danger
increases if the individual becomes wet.
Symptoms of frostbite
include:
• Gradual
numbness;
• Hardness
and paleness of the affected area during exposure,
• Pain
and tingling or burning in affected area following warming; and
• Possible
change of skin color to purple
NEVER MASSAGE OR RUB
FROSTBITTEN AREAS AS THIS MAY CAUSE FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE SKIN.
Follow these tips to
weather the winter in a healthy way:
• Cover
your head. You lose as much as 50 percent of your body heat
through your head.
• Wear
several layers of lightweight, loose fitting clothing. The air
between the layers acts as insulation to keep you warmer.
• Cover
your mouth with a scarf to protect lungs from direct, extremely cold
air. Cover your ears and lower part of your face as well.
• Wear
mittens rather than fingered gloves. The close contact of
fingers helps to keep your hands warm.
• Wear
warm leg coverings and heavy socks or two pairs of lightweight socks.
• Wear
waterproof boots or sturdy shoes to keep your feet warm and dry.
Finally, areas of
water may start to freeze over during this cold spell. Never venture
out onto frozen bodies of water. Consider these areas to be thin ice
and avoid at all costs. This information includes pets as many
humans get themselves into trouble venturing out to retrieve pets that have
fallen into freezing water. All frozen areas of water should be considered
“thin ice” and “extremely dangerous.”
