The fire that left a Brookfield couple and their infant homeless a week ago has prompted Brookfield Fire Chief Jerry Wine to warn local residents about the dangers associated with the use of space heaters.
Referring to statistics provided by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Wine points out that in 2006, “most home heating fire deaths (73 percent) and injuries (43 percent) and half (51 percent) of associated direct property damage involved stationary or portable space heaters.”
While Chief Wine doesn’t propose a complete ban on the use of space heaters, he does observe that when they are used improperly or as the main source of home heating, the chances of fire rise considerably.
Seventy-eight percent of all fire-related civilian deaths between 2003 and 2006 resulted from space heater-related fires while just eight percent were connected to central heating units. Water heaters also caused another eight percent of those fire-related civilian deaths.
Thirty-one percent of all space heater-related fires occurred, between 2003 and 2006, because the heater was too close to combustibles. Eighteen percent of those fires occurred because the space heater was left unattended. Seven percent of space heater-related fires occurred due to mechanical malfunction
The Brookfield Fire Dept. and NFPA offer the following safety tips for various methods of home heating “so residents can help keep our community safe and warm this winter:”
- See today's LCL for the full story
