How can I succeed? A teacher in one of the schools I visit regularly asked me a question the other day. "Why are you talking about detectors and home fire escape plans again; you discussed those two months ago?"

It was a question that prompted me to ask several in return. "Why did the guy run when his coveralls caught fire?" "Why do people place mattresses next to furnaces?" "Why doesn't the strong odor of gasoline near open flames scare people?" "Why do people misuse extension cords, space heaters, candles, lighters, and matches?"

I could go on and on. The true answers to my questions are somewhat debatable. Is it a lack of common sense or a lack of knowledge? I have to educate so that I can eliminate the latter. The former I can do nothing about and that causes me many frustrations. The questions I posed to her represent many of the common occurrences that the fire service encounters daily. They also represent the many frustrations I feel. I ask myself everyday, "How can I succeed?"

Even though I discuss smoke detectors to just about everyone I meet and despite our "Operation Smoke Detector" program that provides detectors to anyone that needs them, the most common occurrence is lack of detectors in the home. Most homes do not have the recommended number of smoke detectors in the recommended places. At least one on every level and at least one in every room used for sleeping is the quantity recommended and the places they should be. I even go as far as telling children that there should be a detector at each intersection of the drop ceiling grid. THAT would really be covered. Notification of a fire would happen so much faster if this were the case. But then I ask them if this is practical and they are pretty smart to answer "no."

And I can't tell you the number of times I have seen detectors, new or old, sitting on a shelf, some in the original, undisturbed packages not being used. Someone actually told me that one of theirs on a shelf was working, they did test it, and they are safe. I asked them to tell me where the smoke goes if there is fire. They told me all over. "But where does it go first?" "Well, kinda in a circle around the fire." When I explained that it rises above the fire first and then moves along the ceiling to the walls next and then starts to bank down, they were amazed. Then they realized that by the time the detector MAY work, the smoke will have filled the room and the time they need to escape will be all used up. How can I succeed?

The next common occurrence is smoke detectors without batteries. On one recent call, the furnace of this particular home malfunctioned and the motor seized up. The thermostat wasn't feeling the heat, so it kept telling the furnace to stay on. The fan was not pushing that hot air out, cooling the furnace, and it overheated. The dust (I will discuss housekeeping a little later) finally "burned" off and set off one detector. When we arrived, we turned off the furnace and checked all the appliances and found no fire anywhere. I then asked the owner if I could check the detectors. The one in the basement was missing a cover, the one in the stairway was missing a battery, and the one above the bar off the kitchen was also missing a battery. She told me that they were beeping and annoying her so she removed the batteries. Then she produced three batteries that appeared to be new. She told me she would install them later. I asked if I could do it right then and she said she didn't want to bother me. I told her I was up from a great sleep, out in the cold, and standing there with her in her pajamas, it truly was no bother. So, I took the batteries and noticed the expiration date, six months prior. I went to my truck and got her three fresh batteries and fixed her right up. How can I succeed?

One of the graphic explanations of how things will not function properly when dirty is by asking the children if it would be easy getting a comb through my hair after not washing my hair for a whole year. Now, anyone that knows me knows this really wouldn't be that big a deal, I am bald. But they get the idea that dirty things don't work well. Dirty smoke detectors don't work well either. The dust and dirt clog the entrance to the sensor chamber and smoke won't reach the necessary destination. The other common dirty occurrence is the dirty dryer vent. Most of them are clogged. The hot air backs up and the machine isn't allowed to cool. Then the temperature rises and the dust and lint reaches its ignition point and "poof!" Plus, the machine is not operating at its maximum and gas or electricity is wasted. How can I succeed?

Dead batteries are also common. You would be surprised how many times I hear "It slipped my mind." or "I thought I heard it beep a couple of times." I even had a moment a while back. I was leaving for work one morning and when I went to the garage, I heard a beep. I looked up and told myself that I would change that battery when I got home. Well I got home every night for the next six months and never changed that battery. It was only when the time changed in the fall that I changed the battery and realized what I failed to do. The battery went completely dead, helped along by the cold weather and my unheated garage. Out of sight, out of mind? No, out of hearing, out of mind. Now I am beginning to understand but I still have to ask, "How can I succeed?"

The last common occurrence concerns newer homes with electric smoke detectors. The most often asked question is "What do I do if the power goes out because I have electric detectors with no batteries?" "Should I buy a few of the battery operated ones?" I ask them how old the home is and it is often three or four years old. I also ask them if they ever checked the detectors and they always say no. No monthly test. No duster or vacuum. No home fire escape plan. It is fact that all newer homes have electric powered detectors with a battery back up. I tell them to check and most are very surprised that the detectors do have batteries. So, is repetition really necessary? Are weekly spelling tests necessary? Is reminding the adult with burning coveralls about "stop, drop, and roll" necessary? How can I succeed?

Here is the absolute worst comment I have ever heard in my life. A lot of kids recognize me when I am out and about. They sometimes give me hugs which really surprises their parents. After we are introduced, the children express their knowledge of fire safety. One day a mother asked her little girl after we were introduced "Is this the big, bad fire man who sends you home scared?" The mother looked at me and told me her daughter won't let up about the detectors. I said that was good. She scolded me and told me it wasn't right to scare her child and I should know better. "Of course we are never gonna have a fire, not in this world. It hasn't happened yet, it never will. I keep telling her I will take care of her but she keeps on me about those detectors!" Of course I was enraged. But, being in the public eye, I really must mind my p's and q's. I couldn't argue, I couldn't protest, and I couldn't scold her back. I just felt huge sorrow for a little girl that someday may never have a chance. How can I succeed?

There are two answers to this question. One is to never give up trying and the other is never give up hope that our goals can be achieved. Things will improve. Another thing that helps ease my frustrations is that I have experienced first-hand why some of the common occurrences happen, having gone six months with a dead battery in a smoke detector. That doesn't excuse the issues I presented in this article, for me or anyone else. It just means I can understand how things happen. Life is busy and some things slip into the cracks. Have you ever heard the saying "You can't teach an old dog new tricks?" We are all old dogs when it comes to fire safety "tricks."

Jim Carroll Fire Prevention Education Officer
Grand Traverse Fire Department
GRAND TRAVERSE FIRE DEPT FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU
897 Parsons Rd ~ Traverse City, MI 49686
Phone (231) 922-4840 Fax (231) 922-4918
E-mail: Info@gtfire.org
Website: www.gtfire.org