Fire Prevention
Forest Fire and Brush Fire Prevention
West Virginia has two seasons that are susceptible to forest/brush fires which stretch from March 1 to May 31 and October 1 to December 31. Due to the high risk of outdoor fires during those times the state has burn laws (presented to the left) that everyone has to abide by, in this law there are requirements you have to meet before you can burn in order to reduce the risk of your fire getting out of control.
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Fire Prevention In Your Home
Smoke detectors are a simple yet effective way to alert a buildings occupants that there might be a fire or a bad cook in the kitchen. You can pick up smoke detectors at most big box stores like Lowes or Home depot, it is not recommended to get the combination smoke detector/carbon monoxide detector due to placement requirements, a smoke detector should be about 4inches away from the wall if placed on the ceiling away from any vents, windows or drafty areas and 6-12inches away from the ceiling if placed on the wall again avoiding any vents, windows and drafty areas while carbon monoxide detectors should be placed about 5ft from the floor. Both should be tested every so often and most recommend testing the detectors every daylight savings roll back or jump forward. If your detector does a single beep every 30 seconds or so it needs the battery replaced.
Fire extinguishers are a must have for every home, even the smallest of extinguishers give you a chance of putting out or slowing the fire until the fire department arrives. For home use an A.B.C extinguisher is your best all around choice for the types of fires you may encounter in your home with the exception of grease fires which can extinguished by turning off the heat, covering the flaming grease with a lid or a damp hand towel if a lid is not available or a large amount of salt or baking soda, do not use flour as it could combust. If you do have a fire extinguisher in your home much like your smoke detectors you should be checking it every so often to make sure it is still good, to do this pick it up, give it a couple turns upside down to make sure the powder hasn't clumped up in the bottom and to check the gauge to make sure the needle is in the green, if it is not in the green that means it has lost some pressure one way or another and should be replaced. Also like the detectors these can be bought at most hardware stores but they range in size from a large water bottle to the size of a small trashcan. If your house has a fire extinguisher EVERYONE in the household should know the location and how to use it using the P.A.S.S method shown below
