November 02, 2012 - Southbridge Evening News

2 • THE WEBSTER TIMES • Friday, November 2, 2012
www.webstertimes.net
‘Plan your escape around your abilities’
BY GUS STEEVES
STONEBRIDGE PRESS STAFF WRITER
CHARLTON — Fires are obviously a danger to
anyone, but more so to senior citizens, who often
can’t move as quickly to escape.
That’s why the Charlton and Sturbridge fire
departments teamed up to give about 30
Overlook residents, and by extension seniors
anywhere, a crash course in fire safety Thursday
afternoon, Oct. 26.
“We can replace a stove. We can replace a pot.
We can replace an apartment,” said William
Chamberland, Overlook’s maintenance and
security director and the event’s host. “Can we
replace a human life? No.”
According to Sturbridge firefighter Mary Lou
Volpe, people age 85 and over have a death rate of
37.5 per million, higher than other age ranges,
although FEMA statistics show that rate has
been falling for at least a decade.
“But they’re all high. Even one is one too
many,” she said.
Prevention is often a matter of simply paying
attention to where you and various objects are.
Stoves, for example, are a common fire source,
often because people forget something’s cooking,
reach over a burner wearing loose clothing, or
store things behind or even in the stove.
Using a mock-up of a stove, toaster and other
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common kitchen devices, Charlton Firefighter
Danielle Robertson demonstrated how easily
that can happen (especially with a gas stove) by
pulling a robe over her uniform. The loose
sleeves brushed the fake flames as she reached
for the dials.
Should that happen, Volpe noted small clothing
fires are usually fairly easy to smother, but if
that doesn’t work or is unreachable, don’t run.
That just fuels the flames. Instead, “stop, drop
and roll back and forth,” she said. “But you’re
not going to roll down the hallway.”
Natural fabrics like wool and cotton “won’t
burn as readily as synthetics” (in part because
many of the latter are oil-based), she added.
Chamberland recalled an Overlook apartment
fire a few years ago. A resident had been storing
Reynolds and Saran wrap in her stove when she
accidentally hit the stove’s self-cleaning button
and was unable to stop that automatic cycle. No
one was hurt, but the staff and fire department
had to drag the stove outside.
For a while, Chamberland talked about how to
use a standard fire extinguisher, although most
of those present said their apartments didn’t
have one. The type he discussed uses a chemical
dust to smother most kinds of fires (including
electrical ones), but will exhaust its material
within 5-10 seconds. The dust is not safe to inhale
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afterward and “you won’t even be able to see” if
using it in a room, he said.
Instead, he recommended leaving, saying,
“Evacuate and let the system work.”
All three speakers strongly advised people to
practice having at least two escape routes from
any room periodically. Overlook’s apartments,
and those in similar settings, generally have just
one door into a main hallway, but they all have
windows. For first-floor residents, escaping that
way might be viable, but Volpe advised those on
upper floors to block any smoke from entering
their apartment (if the fire’s not in it) and wave
something out the window. When firefighters
arrive, they always assign a couple people to
walk around the building looking specifically for
such signs of people who might be trapped, she
said.
Practice, they added, is crucial especially at
night.
“If you wake up in the dead of night and
you’re all confused, can’t find your glasses, you
panic,” Chamberland said, noting that’s how people
get hurt. Knowing the escape route, by contrast,
makes it far easier to navigate under stress.
“Plan your escape around your abilities,”
including lining up people who can help, Volpe
added later.
If the fire’s in their apartment, Robertson also
advised people to call 911 from a nearby apartment
after escaping, rather than taking the extra
time first. Also, she noted a landline phone is
often best, since that will go to the local police
and fire department. Volpe noted cell phone calls
in Charlton typically get sent to Framingham
State Police, so callers need to be specific about
their location to transfer it back to the right
town.
Afterward, they switched gears to talk about
another common accident afflicting seniors —
falls, which also are more likely to cause injuries
as people age.
“Many things in your apartment can be trip
hazards, but we don’t even realize until we trip
over them,” Volpe said, later observing, “When
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you’re in a hurry, that’s most likely when you’ll
fall.”
Cords are a common danger. She used her
computer’s sinuous power cord as an example,
adding cords should also not be put under rugs
because friction can wear them down and make
them a fire hazard.
(Earlier, they’d noted misuse of cords in general
can be a fire risk, particularly overloading a
plug with an “octopus” of them. Instead, they
advised using power strips, which have a built-in
surge protector and shut off if overloaded, and
unplugging devices that aren’t in use.)
Gus Steeves can be reached at 508-909-4135 or by
e-mail at gus@stonebridgepress.com.
ALMANAC
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“We can replace a
stove. We can replace a
pot. We can replace an
apartment. Can we
replace a human life?
No.”
- William Chamberland, Overlook maintenance
and security director, and the host of
a fire safety event for seniors last week.
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