Bring Back The Porch
Bring Back The Porch, a podcast about simpler times when folks sat on their porch, and felt a sense of community. Everything was discussed on the porch from life, family, politics, and religion. Hosted by Bernie Leahy, this podcast aims to reignite those conversations, while giving people a chance to share their perspectives.
Bring Back The Porch
Stay Safe This Holiday Season: Essential Fire Safety Tips from MHFD
Kelly Ireland, Medicine Hat Fire and Emergency Services fire and life safety educator joins Brian is on the Porch to discuss fire safety, particularly during the holiday season. They look at various hazards associated with common household items, such as batteries, candles, and Christmas trees. Kelli emphasizes the importance of maintaining smoke alarms and fire extinguishers, as well as the need for community awareness and education on fire safety. The discussion also covers outdoor safety during winter and the availability of community fire safety inspections.
The holidays are a time for celebration, but they also come with unique fire risks. According to Kelly Ireland, the increased activity in our homes—decorating, cooking, and using electronic devices—can lead to dangerous situations if we aren’t careful. In this blog post, we’ll break down key insights from the podcast, offering practical advice to help you navigate the festive season safely.
You look to buy electronics, which I know a lot of people are gifting electronics around the holidays. It's important to look for a little icon on that package to ensure it's been certified, and that means it's been tested and it's safe for use in Canada. This episode of Bring Back the Porch, brought to you by Bernie Leahy, River Street Realty. Let's get you home. And joining me on the porch today is Kelly Ireland Fire and Life safety educator with the Fire and emergency services in Medicine Hat. Welcome. Thank you for having me today, Brian. I was going to joke that it takes longer to do the podcast, to read your name and title, than to do the podcast. I know it's a mouthful. We are into a busy season, but it's always Christmas. I remember when I was doing news, we used to try to hope that there was never going to be a tragic fire Christmas time, because that was the worst time to have to read that story any time of the year. Yeah, so any time it's a terrible time to have a fire. There is no good time of the year, but particularly around the holidays, people are just in a different mind frame, right? People are busier. We're doing a whole lot of things to our house that are a lot differently. Were decorating our homes, were in the kitchen, baking all sorts of good stuff for our family and our friends. So sort of our life shifts around the holidays. Yeah. And we want to make sure that people stay safe over the holidays. And that is your job as a fire and life safety educator. That is absolutely right. So my job, I think it's one of the best. Honestly, it's such a wonderful, feeling to be able to support our community, just make right decisions. Right. And so I'm in the schools, I go to seniors homes, I talk to moms, dads, anybody that'll listen to me. Social media is a big tool for us to really get the message of safety out in the community. So that way we can prevent something from happening. I don't want to send those big red trucks blaring down the street to come to come, because likely that means something bad has happened. And so if we can prevent that, that's my job, and I love it. Well, we're going to we've got a list here of about a dozen things. There's so many things. I never realized how dangerous your house can become. Yes, absolutely. Everything that you think is ordinary, everyday run of the mill. Just lurking. Waiting to pounce on you if you don't know how to look after it. Absolutely, absolutely. One of the things that was just before we went on the air here that we were talking about was, batteries. Lithium batteries. Everybody has them. If you have a cell phone or any kind of a device. But they can be dangerous. Absolutely. And it's not even like these fires are happening and, you know, somewhere overseas. And I can just say learn from them, right? They're happening right here in our community. We actually had two battery fires in one week. One that involved a lithium ion battery, which essentially is anything that's rechargeable. So if you have something rechargeable at home, whether that's a smartwatch, an iPad, e-scooter, that has a rechargeable battery in it, that is a lithium ion battery. And those can overheat and they can essentially explode. And so we had unfortunately, a lady who went to sleep with her cell phone underneath her pillow charging and that, and then woke up in the middle of the night because her hair was on fire. So it was awful. And thankfully that fire did not spread further than the bed. However, that could have been a whole lot more dangerous for her. And so if your phone or any device is overheating, unplug it. And you should not overcharge them. They should not be left on the charger, any longer than they need to be. And it's important now when you look to buy electronics, which I know a lot of people are gifting electronics around the holidays, it's important to look for a little icon on that package to ensure it's been certified. That means it's been tested and it's safe for use in Canada. Often people turn to Amazon. I get it, I'm a culprit. It's easy, it's convenient. But you don't know necessarily where your products are coming from. And so I did a test last year where I ordered some iPhone chargers off Amazon. When I got the package, there was absolutely no logo on them. Half of the words weren't even in English. And so I knew right away this is not been tested and certified, which makes it that much more risky of a device to use here in Canada. So is it the charger you have to be, mindful of as well as the, device with the batteries? Yes, absolutely. So the chargers, the one that's taking the power from the wall and putting it into your device. Now, if it's not been tested and certified for Canada, it might not actually be matching up to the electrical current that's coming to the phone, and potentially backing up and causing that device to overheat and explode. What are we looking for on, is there a stamp? Yes. Sign? Yes, there's a little stamp, and there's all there's a few different ones, so it can get kind of overwhelming. But we do have the the icons posted on our social media page. So take a look. If you forget, CSA is one of them. And even on a hockey helmet there's a CSR approved stamp there that means it's been tested. There's also ETL or you'll see. And so if you look for one of those symbols, that means it's safe. What happens to cause these things to start a fire when they overheat. The battery itself can actually overheat. And there's a whole bunch of tiny cells. If you imagine that battery in your phone or even a scooter. Right? So as this as that battery gets bigger, it becomes that more that much more catastrophic. When the, when the explosion happens. So there's a whole bunch of little cells in that little battery pack that once they're damaged or they overheat, they're essentially like dominoes. And not to get too sciency, but it's called thermal runaway. And so once that one little cell in their overheats transfers the heat to the next one and the next one and the next one, and then goes poof. And so they can be very detrimental. So if even in the summer your, your e-scooter, make sure that if you're charging your e-scooter. I know a lot of kids have them these days that they're not sitting by an exit. So in case it does in fact get over, overheat and explode, you're not blocking your exit out of your home. Yeah, yeah. So lots of things to think about. Okay, I've got a battery. It's running down. What do I do with it? You can. Recycle them. And you know what? There's a lot of places in our community that actually will recycle them for you. So it's not like you have to run across town. There is a website called Recycle Your Batteries and you can actually go to that site, type in your postal code and it'll give you the closest location to your home. Now, if it ends up in the landfill, that's bad environmentally, but there's also some safety risks there. There absolutely is. So not only are lithium ion batteries, risky, but even just our household double A's are C batteries. So remember how I said we had to incidents that one week. The other incident involved a C battery inside of a remote control. And what happened was the lady was recycling them, but it ended up touching, the end of another battery and sparked and ended up taking $320,000 of a damage hit to her home. And so it wasn't insignificant from a little C battery. Oh, boy. It was it was it was detrimental. And so she thought she was doing the right thing and she was. But make sure when you are recycling them, if you are doing them at home, recycling them in a bin, wrap the ends with like a non-conductive tape, like the, electrical tape, wrap them and then recycle them. Otherwise, the garbage truck and our landfill could also see a fire. And we have we've seen lots of fires at our landfill. Unfortunately. If a fire starts in my home, can I put it out safely or 911 is my bag. 911 is your best call? Absolutely. Yeah. Because you can't just pour water on it. No, no. You know, and that's becoming a major problem across fire service around the world is that these batteries in these electric vehicles, electric scooters, they're almost impossible to put out if they're not doused in water. And so there's lots of testing going on right now to, to understand this technology better. But the the institute that sends all the fire departments across North America does all this testing in their lab. Right. And they had a vehicle that actually lit on fire. They took the battery out. They put what took the battery and the car to the landfill and left it there to see what would happen. And in a year, it reignited and restarted on fire. Wow. So, yeah, there's lots of lots of information out there, but not quite enough that we, we don't really, really understand this technology quite yet. I'm not the smartest person in the world, but I think when I put water and electricity together. That doesn't match, you know, it doesn't work. It doesn't work. Okay. Candles. Everybody likes candles for relaxation, for the aroma. Yes. There's a hazard there. And you had, example that you were telling us about. Yes. We had a resident actually send us a video and this, Yeah, she sent us a video of a through a candle that she had purchased from a very famous store. That many people, I'm sure, have a candle from a three watt candle. And it started to flame, like, uncontrollably high. Like I'm talking almost a foot from the actual campfire candle. Yes. Campfire. It was. It was crazy. These these images I saw. And she thought she could take that candle and take it over to her sink and put it out with water. Unfortunately, the reaction was the exact same as a grease fire. It just blew right up. She even has a black mark on the roof, above her sink in her kitchen now. So, obviously that is not. That is not right. If you have a candle that is, you know, flickering wildly or is growing taller than it should, it's really important to essentially take away its oxygen supply, just like you and I need oxygen to breathe. So it is a fire. And so if you can take that away by putting a pot lid or a cookie sheet over top of that candle, that is going to be the safest way to put that candle out. It's important to note that through what candles really aren't meant for long term burning. Really only about an hour is what they recommend. Okay, she's lucky that that hot liquid didn't spill on there when she was. She is very lucky. There's a whole bunch of things that could have gone wrong. Yeah, well, thankfully it did not go wrong. And, she lived to tell the story and warn everybody else. Yep, yep. Christmas brings its own set of hazards. So when we put up the lights and the trees and all the cords are running around and if you don't look after them, maintain them trouble, trouble could happen. That's right. And so, a lot of people buy real Christmas trees, which are beautiful and have a beautiful scent at home. One thing with real Christmas trees, though, is to make sure that you're watering them daily. There's actually a video online that if you search Christmas tree fire, it'll actually show you they've burnt real Christmas trees next to a fake one, and the real one goes up in about 20s. It only takes 20s for that entire tree to be lit up, and then essentially that living room to be engulfed in flames. So should that real tree catch on fire. Watch out. It spreads really quickly. Which gives you essentially no time to get out of your home. So, make sure you're watering those real trees daily. Is there a retardant you can put in with the water that might help a little bit. I remember they used to sell it when they bought the real. Interest. Back in my day. You know, I've never heard of anything to be put. Put in the water itself. I know when you do buy artificial trees, though, it's important if you look on the outside of the package again to, to just make sure it is fire retardant, you do not want, something that big in your living room catching on fire because it just it spreads so quickly. Fire doubles every 30s. And so it makes it very dangerous. 30s three 30s. It doubles. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's why we need those quick response times in our cities. Absolutely. And working smoke alarms. This is a message that I can't hit home enough. It's just one of those things that is so simple. Often forgot about because they're on the, the ceiling. Make sure that those are working. Because if they're not and you are sleeping. Like I said, fire doubles every 30s. And the way that our products are made nowadays are cheaper because companies are selling them faster to more of a population. And so safety has become maybe not so prominent, unfortunately. And we used to have 17 minutes to escape our home back around 30 to 40 years ago when products were made out of real wood. Now we have less than three minutes because of the way our products are made, and they're made from oil, which is synthetic materials which are more toxic to our lungs and burn a whole heck of a lot quicker. So if your smoke alarms aren't working. Three minutes is an awfully short time. If you're stiff to get it out of your home. And you're panicking. And you're panicking, right? And if you have kids that you're trying to get out and pets, it just becomes very chaotic. So that's the one thing you can do is make sure your smoke alarms are working. What about a fire extinguisher? Fire extinguishers of course. Sort of. My second tool that I always recommend to homeowners, is an ABC fire extinguisher, which will put out most household fires. Again, if it's small, like a garbage can size fire. You should be able to put that out. Anything bigger, and it's best to call 911 and get the fire department there. But yeah, a fire extinguisher is sort of your next tool. To protect yourself, particularly in the kitchen. Okay, I'm putting up the Christmas tree. And tradition holds that we always have this set of lights on the tree. Of course. They're from 1933. Probably not a good idea. No, they will be ghosts from Christmas past. Absolutely, absolutely. And so it's important again, just be mindful when you are purchasing products. Just look at the package, take that extra step to make sure you're buying something that is has got surge protectors. Has a little safety certification I was talking about earlier on it and, you know, will maybe fire retardant in some cases. But yeah old lights I would get rid of it if it, if the the wires themselves are damaged or are looking very old and you know, potentially could come apart or if when you plug something in it sparks back at you. Probably a good idea to get that looked at or replace the whole set of lights. You do not want those. You can't lighting up. You can't. Even though the chimney. Tim the Tool Man Taylor thinks he can fix it. We all know what happens to Tim the tool Taylor tries to fix, right? Yeah, yeah. Fireplaces at this time of the year. Always nice to have one on a cold winter night. Yeah, but they also bring the danger. They do carbon monoxide. So we always recommend to anybody with a wood burning stove or a really a fireplace in their home to have it checked annually. Just to make sure that it's clear of debris all the way as the smoke leaves the home. And then of course, making sure that the trap, they're trap is open so that that air can safely leave outside. Any unburned wood and any unburned fuel is what creates carbon monoxide. And of course, is a gas that is very deadly. It's called the invisible killer because it doesn't smell like anything. You can't hear it, you can't see it. And essentially you're just not going to wake up if it is leaking into your home. And that's not something you want. So there's some common, symptoms you can look for if you do, if you're feeling sick or nauseous, dizzy or starting to get sick. Headaches, things like that are all symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. So it's important to get outside to fresh air. Call the fire department, which, of course, our phone number is 911. They will get Ahold of us. And we have all sorts of tools, that we work with that can to detect carbon monoxide in the home. And what at what level. And so, going back to my smoke alarm comment, you can actually purchase smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarms together in one device so that makes it really handy to be protected with just one device. Creosote is another danger that can, jump up and bite you if you don't take care of the actual chimney in your fireplace. There's lots of lots of different fuels that are dangerous to the lungs and can can really hurt us, if we're not properly taking care of our fireplaces. Right. Those two need to be cleaned out, and taken care of. Just like anything else. We want to protect our family. Okay. Now I'm. I got call my nurse. I've got side house cigaret. I smoke my cigaret. And I put it out in the planter. And then next thing I know my deck's on fire and I have done those stories as a newsman. I'll tell you what we see far too many of those fires here in this communities, particularly during the summer. Yeah. So the, the, the dirt that you're buying for your planters isn't always just dirt. There's organic materials in there, peat moss. And what happens is when you go to put it out, you're essentially lighting flammable materials. So, yeah, we've seen lots of these fires. And so just grab a can, metal can of water, keep it beside you, douse it in there. If you if you do have to smoke to relax. I know the holidays can be a busy time, but. I don't, I don't. Yeah. No judgment. Just make sure that you're being smart about it. Like I said, douse it in some water and, put it out properly. The furnace is another gas appliance that you need to make sure it's properly maintained or you're going to have issues again. And your hot water. Tank and your hot water tank. Oh, my gosh, the whole house is a hazard. No, I'm just trying to get me. It's honestly it's honestly just about maintaining that home. Right. This is your your safe place for me. I know it's my safe place. And so just making sure that those, big devices heating our homes, cooling our homes in the summer, are in fact, being maintained. So that way, they're not starting a fire, and they're certainly not giving off any deadly type of, gas. And keeping your furnace filter, Replaced. Replaced. Yeah. Every few months. Yep. Every three months, because those two can get. So, just like the lint trap in your dryer can get so filled with dust and debris from the home. That that too, is sitting right beside something that's constantly heating up, and any heat with flammable material right next to it can, of course, lead to a fire. Yeah, I, I try to set my schedule on my, filter with the change of the seasons. Yes. And it's every 90 days. Yeah. And then I remember. Oh yeah, I got to do that. So I know, but you mentioned those dryer lint thing. Yeah. You got to keep those. It's amazing how much it. Seriously. Accumulates in there. It is amazing after one, you know, especially after new clothes I always find like there's these extra threads on new clothing or heavy wool clothing that, of course, we're going to be wearing in the winter to keep ourselves warm. It gets caught in the lint trap, which is what its job is. But if again, if we're not cleaning that out, it just builds up, builds up, builds up, and can potentially become dangerous. We found when we moved into our new residence that we had to have the actual vent cleaned out because. As well. Full of stuff. Yeah, it was, you know, in fact in the operation on the dryer, but I guess potentially might have been a fire hazard. Absolutely is. And being a homeowner fun. Oh, it's it's always something. So and I would say there's always something. There's always something. Yeah. Ice is another one that I had, written down here, not just for walking on the sidewalks because I broke a leg doing it myself. Slipped and fell. But, the ponds and the river are tempting at this time of the year. Oh, I've already had a few calls. Yeah, we've already had a few calls, and we do every year. Whether it's animals or or people, we will do our best to, to help and rescue. We, we, you know, we saved a deer last year that fell through the ice on the river. This year we've already seen a couple of youth, down by the river, playing on the ice and and ice is never especially on a river like ours that is so unpredictable, right. That current underneath that ice is going so quickly that if you were to fall through that ice and you got carried by that current, that makes rescuing almost impossible. Typically we don't see happy endings to those types of calls. And so it's best to just stay off the ice, particularly when it comes to the river. Now, medicine hat is a wonderful community that has so many outdoor rinks, ponds. And so if we're just take that again, take that extra check, look on the City of Medicine, our website, or they even have signs posted right at the ponds. Whether it's safe or not to go on. And so we're looking for at least 4 to 6in of thickness on the ice to even be safe to go on. If the ice itself looks discolored or is slushy, be very careful that ice, is unpredictable and is not recommended to go on. So, lots of things again, to look for to. Do you still offer home inspections? We do free. Free wine on my taxes. Right. I always get asked, you know, how much do I owe? How much do I owe? I said nothing, this is a community service. My job is to make sure you and your family feel safe, particularly when it comes to your home. And so just give us a call or find us online and send us a message we'll come to. You will set up a time that works. We usually take about 45 minutes in the home, and really thoroughly go through the home. We'll check your smoke alarms, your carbon monoxide detectors. We will tell you if we notice anything. That's maybe off. We'll check your furnace filters, all those things. If you have any concerns, we we will discuss. We'll leave you with some some homework, some fire safety education materials to to continue to follow. It just call us. It's better to be safe than sorry. It is better to be safe than sorry. And we all want to have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Yes. And from all of us at Medicine Hat Fire and Emergency Services, we wish everybody a very merry and safe holiday. Kelly, Ireland, thanks for the visit. Thanks for having me.