OIB tragedy
shows needs
for fire safety

October is Fire Prevention Month. The nation was reminded last weekend how deadly and cruel fire can be when seven college students in the primes of their lives perished in a fire at Ocean Isle Beach.

By the time the fire was reported to the time the first fire engine arrived six minutes later, the house was engulfed in flames. It’s a miracle anyone got out alive.

It is remarkable how quickly fire can spread given the right conditions.

Fire safety is something most families take for granted. That’s why fire officials remind the public every October to take a few minutes to do the following:

•Make sure to replace batteries in smoke detectors. A rule of thumb is to replace batteries whenever the time changes.

•Have a fire drill at your home with your family and discuss an evacuation plan and routes involving several scenarios. Instructions should include to stay low to find the best air; evacuate first, then call 911; once out of the house, don’t go back in; don’t linger to gather belongings or try to find a pet, and have a meeting place so that everyone can be accounted for.

•Buy a fire extinguisher, especially to keep in the kitchen. Make sure it stays charged and know how to use it.

•Throwing water on a grease fire will only worsen it considerably. Use a fire extinguisher, lid or wet towel to douse grease fires.

•If you arrive home and can see your house is filled with smoke, don’t open the door, which will only feed the flames. Call 911 from a cell phone or neighbor’s house.

•When staying in a hotel or at someone else’s home, learn and visualize the safest evacuation routes and discuss them with family.

•Have furnaces and heat pumps in your home serviced and checked. Chimneys should be cleaned.

•Obey all safety rules regarding kerosene-powered space heaters. Pay particular attention to ventilation or carbon monoxide poisoning could result.

We imagine that a fire was the last thing on the minds of those who were killed Sunday at Ocean Isle Beach, but a serious, life-threatening fire can occur in the blink of an eye.

With the house fire season upon us and the first real cool weather occurring this week, there’s no time like the present to ensure your home or business practices fire prevention and has a plan in place should the unthinkable happen.