Fire Inspection and Prevention Division

Fire Inspector/EMT-B John Hodge (K1)

Hours of Operation:

0800-1600 Hours

Phone Number

1-603-635-2703

NATIONAL ARSON AWARENESS WEEK

May 4 – 10, 2008

New Hampshire State Fire Marshal J. William Degnan wants everyone to pay real close attention to the following information as it could save a life and prevent an injury! As you read on you will see a life was lost and someone was injured we don’t want this to happen in our state or any where else again.    

The theme for this year’s Arson Awareness Week is “Toylike Lighters—Playing with Fire.” The goal of this year’s Arson Awareness Week is to focus public attention on the dangers of toylike or novelty lighters in the hands of children. Toylike or novelty lighters have been responsible for injuries, deaths, and accidents across the Nation.

Children are attracted to novelty lighters because they look like toys. Many of these lighters look like animals, miniature cars, mobile phones, cameras, fishing lures, stacks of coins, markers, and doll accessories. One lighter is nearly identical to the popular rubber ducky bath toy—it even quacks! There are also toylike and novelty lighters that look like tools such as tape measures, drills, hammers, and paint brushes. Ironically, there are even lighters that mimic a Dalmatian donning a fire helmet, a red fire truck, or fire extinguishers.

Children Killed and Injured

Mistaking lighters for toys has proved to be deadly: On September 25, 2007, 15-month old Peyton Edwards and 2-year-old Breydon Edwards of Russellville, Arkansas, died after setting fire to their apartment with a motorcycle-shaped lighter.

Shane St. Pierre was in grocery store in Livermore, Maine, last June with his mother buying sandwiches. Thinking it might be a flashlight; the 6-year-old picked up a miniature baseball bat and flicked the switch. A flame shot out, singeing his eyebrow and burning part of his face. His father, Norm St. Pierre, a fire chief in nearby West Paris, became an advocate for a ban on toylike and novelty lighters. Maine passed a ban on toylike lighters on March 14, 2008.

New Hampshire has not been exempt from these incidences, Marshal Degnan wants all parents to take the time to look around their homes for these types of lighters and get them out of there. As you read above it is happening and this is only two incidences, there are many more.

Fire Prevention Reports for your reading Pleasure Enjoy

(opens in PDF)

Christmas Tree Regulations 2007

Candle Fires

Electrical Fire Safety

Fire Safety For Hearing Impaired

Fire Safety For Mobility Impaired

Fire Safety For Elderly                       (English)               (Spanish)

Fire Place Home Safety

Heating Fire Safety

Lightning Fire

Fire Prevention For Kids

The link below is for the United States Fire Administration web site. The link will take you directly to the "Kids" section of the web site. This page is interactive for kids. Enjoy!

http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/flash.shtm

*CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE FIRE INSPECTION DIVISION FORMS*

Click on the link below to watch a  video on Kitchen Grease Fires !

Grease Fire

(Opens in Windows Media Player)

The Asbestos and Mesothelioma Center

If you happen live in a house that was built before the 1970s, there’s a good chance that asbestos was used in its construction. Even if your house was built since then, asbestos may still be found in some areas. In fact, only houses built within the last 10 years or so should be free of insulating asbestos, although it could very easily have been used in other forms.

This knowledge may instill fear in many homeowners, but, a little knowledge can reduce anxiety. Once the background and use of asbestos is known, the homeowner should be able to recognize potentially dangerous situations. After being informed about the ways in which asbestos must be safely handled, the homeowner can be assured that proper safeguards are being taken. With widely prevalent asbestos use in construction during the early part of the 1900’s, and in hundreds of products since then, it’s been the subject of much research. Much has been learned about it and the threats it can pose. Inhalation of asbestos is the only known cause of pleural mesothelioma, a rare cancer that affects the lining of the lungs.
 

The Pelham Fire Dept. also offers free home safety inspections.  If you would like an inspection, please contact the Pelham Fire Dept. at 635-2703 to schedule an appointment.

CHECK YOUR SMOKE DETECTORS

Residential smoke alarms should be replaced after 10 years, according to The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA).  More than one-third of the country’s smoke alarms are past their recommended life span.  That translates to 77 million smoke alarms in need of replacement and the number is growing by 5 million each year.

“Residential smoke alarms have a 10 year life and must be replaced,” said Pat Coughlin, a former fire chief and direction of Operation Life Safety for the IAFC.  Operation Life Safety provides educational and training programs for fire services nationwide.  “After 10 years, smoke alarms can accumulate significant levels of dust, dirt and debris” Coughlin said.

“A smoke alarm works 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  That’s more than 87,000 hours over 10 years.  It makes sense to be safe and replace your smoke alarm regularly just as you would any other household appliance – especially one that could save your life” said Coughlin.

The NFPA recommends placing smoke alarms in each sleeping room, the hallway adjacent to sleeping rooms and one on each level of the home.  Maintaining those alarms is also critical.  Alarms should be cleaned and tested regularly, batteries need to be replaced annually, and the smoke alarm itself should be replaced every 10 years.

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