In my elementary school, we had fire safety assemblies each year. Two weeks before the assembly, our teachers would hand us fire safety information sheets and a blank fire escape plan sheet. The task? With our families, we were to create a fire escape plan that everyone understood. The next day a contest awarded fun treats as a prize for the best plan.
There’s something important to note here: at a very early age, I began to understand the importance of safety and regular drills. We were reminded of the fire hazards all around and repeatedly practiced what to do should we find ourselves in a fire. Unfortunately, there was a large area of fire safety knowledge missing from all of these very helpful assemblies: the risks of electrical fires.
It wasn’t until I was living in a women’s dormitory at a university that my fire safety education was extended to electrical fires as well. The incidents ranged from popcorn-making accidents to “I-forgot-the-iron-was-on-because-I-was-late-for-class.” Annual assemblies, orientations, and fire drills conducted in the wee hours of the night were sharp reminders of the dangers of electrical fires.
Electrical Fires: Real and Imminent
According to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), fire departments in the United States respond to an estimated 25,900 home electrical fires annually. These fires cause an estimated 280 deaths and 1,125 injuries.Fire drills and fire safety are often strongly emphasized in our churches and schools. But we also need to educate—and be educated—on electrical fires. It’s important to address thoroughly all fire risks, including those we might not always see.
Here are a few tips from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) on electrical safety.
- Replace or repair damaged or loose temporary electrical cords.
- Discontinue use of extension cords as permanent power sources, per NFPA code 11.1.7.6
- Avoid running extension cords across doorways or under carpets.
- In homes with small children, make sure your home has tamper-resistant (TR) receptacles.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for plugging an appliance into a receptacle or wall outlet, not an extension cord.
- Avoid overloading outlets.
- If outlets or switches feel warm, or you experience frequent problems with blown fuses or tripping circuits, or flickering or dimming lights, call a qualified electrician.
- Place lamps on level surfaces, away from things that can burn and use bulbs that match the lamp’s recommended wattage.
- Make sure your home has ground fault circuit interrupters (GCFIs) in the kitchen, bathroom(s), laundry, basement, and outdoor areas.
- In your home, install arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) to protect electrical outlets.
Address these and other issues, as soon as they occur. This action will help you put out fires before they even spark.
For more information on fire prevention, check out our Fire Prevention Info Sheet.
