THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 9, 1994 TAG: 9410070117
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G4 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: AROUND THE HOUSE
SOURCE: MARY FLACHSENHAAR
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
A manufacturer of home safety products encourages consumers to observe National Fire Safety Week, which runs from today through Saturday, by learning the facts and by upgrading household safety systems.
A recent press release from First Alert emphasized these points:
Toxic gases from a fire are likely to put you into a deeper sleep. Don't ever count on the smell of smoke to wake you up.
Fire is black, not bright and fluffy like it might be in a movie. You won't be able to see well as you escape.
A home can be consumed in flames in less than five minutes.
More than 35,000 people are killed or injured in home fires yearly in this country. Your chances of surviving a fire double if your home is equipped with a smoke detector on every floor and in every sleeping area. But that detector needs to be well-maintained to work reliably. To do this:
Test each smoke detector, according to instructions, at least once a month.
Replace batteries at least once a year, unless they are specially intended for longer life.
Never remove a battery, except to replace it with a fresh one.
Dust the smoke detector at least once a month with a lint-free cloth or vacuum.
First Alert gives these additional tips:
Practice an escape plan. Know two ways to escape from every room. Store portable fire escape ladders in second-floor bedrooms. Designate family members to help infants and immobile persons. Practice fire drills after dark.
Keep a working flashlight next to your bed.
When the alarm sounds, escape immediately. Wait to call the fire department from a neighbor's home.
Crawl. Smoke and heat rise. There will be more oxygen and less heat close to the floor.
Before opening a door, feel it to see if it's hot. If it is, use another way out. If the door is cool and you escape through it, close it behind you.
Meet at a prearranged spot outside the house. Designating such a spot is vital. Many people die in fires as they go back in to look for family members who have already escaped. STAMP OUT CLOSET CLUTTER
Open a drawer or closet in an otherwise tidy house and you're likely to be confronted by chaos.
Closet clutter is a way of life in the busy '90s, but you can gain time if you take the time to straighten up the mess, according to Stephanie Schur of the company SpaceOrganizers in White Plains, N.Y.
For a recent issue of Ladies Home Journal magazine, Schur spilled the contents of several crammed bureau drawers onto a bed and reassigned each item to a drawer by category. She organized clothing items by color, folded socks, rolled up pantyhose, used organizer trays for jewelry and trinkets. The job took her just 20 minutes, about as long as it takes some of us to find a matching pair of socks each morning.
Her tips for better closet control include freeing up floor space, using decorative boxes and plastic bins for storage on upper shelves and keeping a compact stepladder in the closet for easy access. by CNB