One Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. I was looking out my kitchen window watching a fireman dressed who was dressed in his blue uniform carrying what looked like a heavy back pack on his back walking up the steep street in front of our home. I wondered where he was going and why he would be in uniform on a Saturday morning. It was already a hot 80 degrees heading up to 98 degrees in the afternoon.
About 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon that same fireman was at our front door. He and his fellow firemen were delivering smoke alarms to the homes in our city of about 45,000. The mayor had received a grant for the alarms and they were going door to door delivering them and impressing us with the importance of properly using them.
He inspected the alarms I already had and then he gave me two new ones to use instead of the ones I had. He also advised me that I needed to move them to a different wall and explained why. All of this personalized attention really left an impression on me as to the importance of fire safety and the use of smoke alarms.
As a professional organizer I am always in homes clearing the clutter people have accumulated in bedrooms, kitchens, offices, garages and other rooms in their homes. Just as smoke alarms can save lives so can organizing clutter so it isn’t blocking escape routes or creating fire hazards.
The elderly and children are most at risk in case of a fire. The elderly are at risk because of their reaction time. This makes it especially important to make sure there is no clutter that could impede their ability to move about freely when evacuating their home in case of a fire.
Children are at risk because they can’t help themselves and may not know how to respond. It is important to create an escape plan for family members in case of a fire. In public buildings posted next to elevators and in various rooms are escape routes in case of fires.
Along with having a plan and having it posted in the home practice the plan from every room in the home. Once a month have a fire drill with the “fire” starting in a different area of the home so if a fire does break out your family will be familiar with how to get out of the house safely.
A fire can travel 19 feet per second! Family members need to know the most important thing they can do is get out and not go back in to a burning house. Have a meeting place away from the house for a head count; it could be at the mail box, a tree across the street, or a neighbor’s driveway.
Stay together away from the fire. Make certain that no one goes back inside the burning building. After you evacuate call 911.
The top 8 areas where fires start in homes are:
1. The kitchen. If there is a grease fire and you can turn off the stove and cover the pan with a lid. This should extinguish the fire. If you plan on using baking soda to put out a fire store the soda away from the stove so you can safely reach it. Flour is flammable.
2. Around the furnace. This is a place where clutter can collect. Do not store things around the furnace.
3. The laundry room. Clean the lint out of the dryer tube and behind the dryer. Keep the lint catcher free of lint.
4. Living room. Places fires can start are from faulty lamps or extension cords. When using an extension cord make sure the cord is as thick as the cord you are plugging it into. Don’t use small gauge extension cords or place any cord where it could be stepped on. When using surge protectors only use half of the plugs available.
5. Bedrooms. Because of the appliances such as lamps, radios etc. used in these rooms. Also people who smoke in bed increase the risk of fire.
6. The garage. There are so many flammable things here don’t every try to put the fire out—just get out and call 911.
7. The attic. This can be a problem because of the accumulation of clutter.
8. The bathroom. Because of candles, hair dryers and other electrical appliances used in this room.
Every 20 seconds a fire department responds to a fire somewhere in the nation. If a fire breaks out we typically have 3 to 4 minutes to get out. Be prepared to be safe by preparing and thinking ahead.
Marilyn is a professional organizer and invites you to visit her website , She is a sought after public speaker and author who is passionate about teaching ways to organize your life and how to reduce clutter. She works with women in their homes and offices. On her web site she teaches you to get rid of clutter by using her Lights On Organizing System. She provides practical information on how to declutter your home, office and life. In her blogs, articles, and videos she gives timely tips on how to clear clutter and how to declutter everything in your home and office. She is the author of a book called Go Organize! Conquer clutter in three simple steps which will be in major bookstores in December 2009.
