1. 1 Mitigating the Rural Fire Problem

2. 2 Project Purpose Reduce fire deaths and injuries in rural America

3. 3 Communities

4. 4 What Are These Communities? Southeast Region

5. 5 What Are These Communities? Northeast Region

6. 6 What Are These Communities? Midwest/ North Central Region

7. 7 What Are These Communities? West Region

8. 8 What Are These Communities? Migrant Workers’ Communities in Florida

9. 9 What Are These Communities? First Nations/Native American communities

10. 10 What Are These Communities? Colonias on Texas/Mexican border

11. 11 Rural Communities

12. 12 Rural America is

13. 13 Fire death rates are higher in rural America

14. 14 Sources and resources for our research –Literature review including statistical analysis –Interviews with leaders in fire service and in organizations serving rural communities

15. 15 How are rural communities different? Homes are farther apart. People are more likely to be poor.

16. 16 How are rural communities different? –Longer response distances for fire departments –Less fire prevention by fire departments –Less local coverage in media

17. 17 Smoke Alarms

18. 18 Smoke Alarms Why they are important

19. 19 Smoke Alarms What to do –Install on every level –Outside each sleeping area –Inside each sleeping room

20. 20 Smoke Alarms What to do –Interconnected alarms Printed with permission from NFPA 72®, National Fire alarm Code, Copyright© 2007.

21. 21 Smoke Alarms Test at least every month. Hard-wire or use 10-year batteries. Replaceable batteries need to be changed once a year.

22. 22 Smoke Alarms What to do –Can you hear it? –Will it wake you?

23. 23 Smoke Alarms What to do –Make an escape plan. –Practice your escape plan.

24. 24 Smoking Fires

25. 25 Smoking Fires Why they are important

26. 26 Smoking Fires What to do if you smoke –Fire-safe cigarette

27. 27 Smoking Fires What to do if you smoke –Smoke outdoors

28. 28 Smoking Fires What to do if you smoke –Use deep, sturdy ashtrays. –Set ashtrays on a sturdy surface.

29. 29 Smoking Fires What to do if you smoke –Make sure butts and ashes are out.

30. 30 Smoking Fires What to do if you smoke –Check for fallen butts.

31. 31 Heating Fires

32. 32 Heating Fires Why they are important –#1 cause of rural home fire deaths –Space heaters have higher risk. –Space heaters are portable or stationery.

33. 33 Heating Fires What to do –Get a professional review.

34. 34 Heating Fires What to do –Buy the right heater for you.

35. 35 Heating Fires What to do –Space heaters need 3 feet of space.

36. 36 Heating Fires What to do –Turn off portable space heaters when you sleep or leave the room.

37. 37 Heating Fires What to do –Plug power cords into outlets with enough capacity.

38. 38 Heating Fires What to do –Use the right wood fuel.

39. 39 Heating Fires What to do –Vent your fuel-burning heater.

40. 40 Heating Fires What to do –Use the right liquid fuel.

41. 41 Electrical Fires

42. 42 Electrical Fires Why they are important –#3 cause of rural home fire deaths –Wiring, cords and plugs, etc. –Wall fires can be hard to detect and extinguish. –Older electrical systems have higher risk.

43. 43 Electrical Fires What to do –Get a professional review.

44. 44 Electrical Fires What to do –What are arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI)?

45. 45 Electrical Fires What to do –What can trigger an arc fault?

46. 46 Electrical Fires What to do –Watch for signs of electrical problems.

47. 47 Electrical Fires What to do –Avoid overloading outlets and circuits.

48. 48 Electrical Fires What to do –Use light bulbs with the right wattage.

49. 49 Outdoor Burning Fires

50. 50 Outdoor Burning Fires Why they are important –Nearly half of reported fires in rural America are outdoor fires. –Nearly half of rural outdoor fires are open flame. –Elsewhere, the dominant cause for outdoor fires is arson.

51. 51 Open Burning Fires What to do –Follow the rules.

52. 52 Open Burning Fires What to do –Attend your fire.

53. 53 Open Burning Fires What to do –Avoid burning on windy, dry days. –Never use flammable or combustible liquids.

54. 54 Visible address Make sure your house number can be seen easily from the street.

55. 55 Resources

56. 56 Five Step Guide for Rural Firefighters A planning resource for you

57. 57 Project Final Report Mitigation of the Rural Fire Problem – Strategies Based on Original Research and Adaptation of Existing Best Practices, July 2007 Available at www.usfa.dhs.orgwww.usfa.dhs.org

58. 58 Websites www.usfa.dhs.gov www.nfpa.org