Holiday Home Security and Safety Series: Turkey Fryer Safety

/2 Comments/by American Alarm Blogging Team

It’s that time of year again. The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us. As we’ve seen in the past few years, turkey fryers have gained in popularity as the way to cook a moist, delicious bird.

While there are a many turkey fryers on the market, most of them use gallons of oil. With the use of oil – particularly large amounts – combined with fire or heat, comes the chance you could start a fire or suffer serious burns.

In fact, turkey fryers are considered dangerous enough that Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the renowned independent, not-for-profit product safety testing and certification organization, refuses to certify any turkey fryers with its UL mark.

Even as manufacturers have designed turkey fryers with safety features including sturdier stands and non-heat conducting handles, UL maintains its position that fryers are a fire risk. “We’re worried by the increasing reports of fires related to turkey fryer use. Based on our test findings, the fryers used to produce those great-tasting birds are not worth the risks,” explains John Dregenberg, UL consumer affairs manager.

But regardless, every year 47 million turkeys are prepared for Thanksgiving day, and because of the attraction to the taste, and even the novelty, people will continue to use fryers.

Watch this demonstration from the Underwriters Laboratories to understand the risks associated with turkey fryers:

According to UL, some of the hazards include:

  • Units can easily tip offer, spilling hot oil.
  • If fryers are overfilled with oil, the oil may splash out when the turkey is placed in the pot. The oil can then hit the burner or flames and cause a fire.
  • Placing a partially frozen turkey in the fryer can cause the oil to spill over the pot.
  • Most turkey fryers do not have thermostat controls. Because the heat is unregulated it can overheat and combust.
  • Lids and handles on turkey fryers become dangerously hot and may result in burns.

But if you still intend to use a fryer, regardless of the risks, UL offers some tips:

  • Always place a turkey fryer on a flat surface, outdoors, and away from buildings. Never use them in a garage, on a deck or in any other covered area.
  • Do not overfill the fryer, and make sure turkeys are completely thawed. The National Turkey Federation (NTF) recommendations say to thaw turkeys in the refrigerator for 24 hours for every five pounds.
  • Never leave a turkey fryer unattended.
  • When handling lids or touching the side of the pot, use insulated oven mitts. Safety googles are also recommended in case oil splatters.
  • Do not allow children or pets to come near the fryer, even hours after it has been in use as the oil remains hot for a long time.
  • Have an all-purpose fire extinguisher handy. If a fire does occur, don’t hesitate calling the fire department.
  • As an alternative, use one of the newer turkey cooking appliances that does not require oil.

Cook safely this Thanksgiving!

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Top Five Fire Safety Tips for the Home

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

October 7th marks the beginning of Fire Prevention Week. What better way to honor that week then to remind homeowners about the top ways to prevent fires. Below is a video blog (and transcript) on the top five fire safety tips for your home.

1. Cook Safely. Don’t leave your range unattended. According to the National Fire Prevention Association, cooking is the leading cause of reported home fires. It’s caused almost half of them since 1990. Most of those were due to unattended cooking. About 15% of these fires originated in ovens but most came from ranges. The solution is simple enough – as US News & World Reports puts it: stand by your pan.

2. Heat Safely. The second biggest fire threat is from home heating systems. Check wood stoves for cracks or anything that might compromise a hinge or leg. Don’t burn trash. It will build residue on your chimney, which along with your furnace, needs a professional cleaning at least once a
year.

Also, any item that can burn needs to be at least a few feet away from heating equipment, especially troublesome accessories like space heaters. Space heaters are generally more dangerous than central heaters and send 6,000 Americans to the hospital every year.

Read more →

Top 5 Fire Escape Tips for Your Business

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

When a fire occurs in your place of business – no matter how many safeguards and fire suppression systems that you might have installed – the overriding concern is making sure that each and every employee evacuates as quickly as possible.

Business fire escape plans can face a number of challenges, including geographically-dispersed buildings, taller structures where exits are located far away from offices, and the presence of chemicals and other flammable materials that can pose substantial risk to evacuees.

In honor of National Fire Prevention week, October 7-13, 2012, here are five of the most important tips to consider when you’re putting together a business fire escape plan.

1. Fire Extinguisher Training. No one expects employees to risk their lives fighting a fire instead of evacuating as quickly as possible. That being said, by equipping an office, factory, or warehouse with an adequate number of fire extinguishers, as well as training workers in how to properly use them, it’s possible to give those trying to escape a better chance of making it outside the building safely. Fire extinguishers can be used en route to put out smaller fires blocking escape paths, or they can help keep flames under control until everyone can be safely evacuated from a section of the building.

2. Planning. Escape plans must be updated in order to reflect changes to the workplace – different cubicle assignments, new construction, or movement of inventory. It’s not enough to adopt a “set it and forget it” policy when it comes to fire escape planning. A reality check of each plan is also crucial to make sure that it avoids elevators, potential choke points where hallways become narrow, or exits into areas where obstacles, walls, or natural barriers would prevent workers from leaving the scene of the fire in a quick and efficient manner.

3. Practice. Practice. Practice. Escape drills should be done regularly – at least as often as you test your fire alarm system – and new employees should be introduced to the fire escape plan as quickly as possible. Designate fire leaders on each floor of your building and make sure they understand each escape route, the number of employees they are responsible for, and their roles in ensuring everyone has left the building safely. They can do that by taking a headcount.

4. Maintain Your MSDS Sheets. Material safety data sheets (MSDS) are important for companies that handle flammable chemicals or products. When planning fire escape routes, take into account the MSDS sheets associated with inventory stored in a given building, and avoid sending workers toward materials that could pose safety risks. Update escape plans as often as needed when new, potentially hazardous inventory is housed.

5. Keep Exits Clear And Unlocked. You know that door at the back of the warehouse that no one ever uses – the one with the Fire Exit sign illuminated over top of it? You need to ensure that the area immediately in front of the door – on either side of it – doesn’t become a stacking ground for boxes, equipment, or other items. It’s also crucial to keep these doors unlocked and unchained. If you must, install an alarm that goes off should the door be opened (for access control), but ensure that a push from the inside will instantly open it up and allow employees to escape.

Top 3 Fire Escape Safety Tips

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

What’s the most important thing to do as soon as you know that your home is on fire?

If you answered “evacuate immediately,” you get a gold star – getting yourself and your loved ones out of a burning building is the number one priority in the event of a fire.

Despite this fact, most people don’t stop to think about the best way to rapidly leave their homes – especially if the home fire alarm system goes off in the middle of the night when most of the family is likely to be sleeping. Knowing where your exits are – and the quickest way to get to them – are two of the most important fire safety tips that you, your spouse, your children, and your guests should be aware of.

In honor of National Fire Prevention week, October 7-13, 2012, here are three important tips to help you and your loved ones get out of harm’s way as quickly as possible in the event of a fire. Read more →

Fire Alarm Safety By The Numbers

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Just how important is it to have fire alarm system installed in your home or place of business?

Safety statistics paint a sobering picture when it comes to illustrating the role that fire systems play in saving lives. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) publishes an extensive amount of data for the public concerning the effect that a properly working fire detection system can have on keeping residents and employees safe in the event of a fire.

One of the most shocking statistics provided by the NFPA is that more than 60% of all fire deaths in the United States occur in buildings where smoke detectors – the simplest, and least expensive of fire safety devices – aren’t installed or aren’t working properly. In fact, almost 40% of home fire deaths are directly attributable to the lack of smoke detectors.

If you have non monitored detectors, dead or missing batteries play a huge role in these preventable tragedies. It’s imperative that you don’t ignore the warning signals from your smoke detector that its battery is failing. As many as 20% of American homes are currently unprotected because of non-functioning smoke detectors. It’s well worth checking the status of your own unit(s) to make sure you don’t become a statistic.

Integrated smoke alarms, such as those that are included as part of a monitored home security system or business security system, will send a signal to your monitoring company to notify the fire department in case of a fire. It is important to have your system checked once a year to make sure it is working properly. Some companies offer this service free of charge to monitored customers.

It’s clear that a functional smoke alarm system is one of the most effective ways to protect your loved ones from the perils of a fire in the home. Installing a monitored home smoke and fire alarm system to complement your existing burglar alarm system is an even better solution for ensuring total safety and peace of mind.

Fire and Security Maintenance – Keeping Your Systems Up To Spec

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Security and fire alarm systems are only useful if they work when they’re called upon to alert business owners or home owners to break-ins or fires. One of the easiest ways to ensure that your alarm is capable of answering the call of duty is to respect its maintenance schedule.

Keeping up with alarm system maintenance is easy, and it’s key to reducing the number of false alarms related to problems with equipment. Let’s take a look at some of the key aspects of ensuring the safe and continual operation of your security or fire monitoring system. Read more →