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Each year there are over 1.5 million fires in the United States resulting in $10 billion in damages, more than 3,000 deaths, and 16,000 injuries. While residential fires account for only a fourth of the total number, they’re responsible for 80% of all deaths and injuries. In addition, hundreds of deaths in the home are caused by carbon monoxide poisoning every year. Though cooking is the main cause of house fires overall, problems with heating equipment—from furnaces to fireplaces to space heaters—surpass it in the winter.

Since half of all fire related fatalities occur during the winter months, we’re asking you to help make this year safer by sharing your close encounter with fire and what could have been done to prevent it. The two entries with the most compelling story and helpful prevention tip will receive a Kidde Nighthawk smoke and carbon monoxide alarm along with a second Kidde smoke alarm.

All entries must be received before December 1, 2007, to be eligible to win. See contest rules for details.

Tags: , Contest, fire safety

9 Comments on “Fire Safety Contest”

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1. Vincent Sellecchia Says:
   November 2nd, 2007 at 11:12 am

   I am a truck driver who gets home to visit my 78 year old mother once every few months. The last few times I visited her she forgot she was cooking and we almost had a disaster.
   Being the type of person she is I would never be able to talk her into a assissed live place so I spent 16,000 dollars (all I had) and invented a stove knob that takes all the worris away while I am away driving. It will save thousands of lives and offer independent living to many. I have a patent pending and did not show it yet. But thats my contibution to prevent home fires

2. 

   Ben Erickson Says:
   November 7th, 2007 at 11:08 am

   Vincent,
   Thanks for your contribution and good luck with your product, it sounds like something that is sorely needed.

3. Ann B. Says:
   November 8th, 2007 at 8:35 am

   Last year in our development, 2 homeowners caused fires to their homes by removing hot embers from their wood burning stoves and depositing them outside. One left them on the deck and they burned thru the container and burned down 1/2 the house, and the other dumped them on the lawn and caught his siding on fire.
   Please, douse embers with water before leaving them unattended.

4. Rodney H. Says:
   November 10th, 2007 at 8:13 am

   Our family has a cabin in northern Wisconsin. Every year we have a annual grouse hunt. This year we almost didn’t have a cabin to go to. This is no hunting shack as it was built as a retirement home for our dad. We installed a supplemental fridge from a travel trailer in a mudroom that we have. When our dad lit the pilot light on the fridge he encountered problem and let the lp gas vacate the fridge or so he thought. There was a small build up of gas left when he was able to light it causing a “poof”. He proceeded to go into the cabin and start a fire in the woodstove. As he was doing this he had smelled smoke not from the woodstove but from the mudroom. There was a hemp rope hanging behind the fridge on a nail that caught fire as a result of the excess gas and was beginning to burn up the wall of the room. Directly above the rope was a kerosene lantern full of fuel. Disaster waiting to happen!!! Luckily he caught this before the wall itself or the shelf above began to burn. He was able to take the rope outside and extinguish it. Long story short…keep flamables away from fire sources. Surprisingly, he smelled the smoke before the smoke detector went off. An interesting fact, he is a law enforcement officer, trained arson investigator, and works for insurance companies investigating fires. All of the smoke detectors were replaced that day and we had a successful hunting week.

5. Dennis Says:
   November 14th, 2007 at 8:44 pm

   We were off in a hurry and noticed the chimney had flames coming out of the top, we Called the fire department and saved the house, the reason for the fire was the chimney had not been cleaned and had built up of soot.So remember to clean chimney

6. Timothy Selig Says:
   November 20th, 2007 at 8:30 am

   Keep matches away from children

7. Bobbye F. Says:
   November 30th, 2007 at 9:53 pm

   People often do not think about what could happen. While living in Alaska,my husband and I lived next to my in-laws. We go up early one moring and turned on the space heater to warm the room. We got a call from the family to come over and help with something a minute. We figured we would only be gone for a few minutes and left the space heater on. When we came back to the house about five minutes later black smoke was pouring out the front door. No one was injured and the home was saved with only minor damage compared to what could have been, but things like pictures and a marriage quilt my husbands greatgrandmother made us was forever burned and damaged! It could happen anywhere, it could happen anytime, that’s what we learned. We also installed smoke alarms that were not in the house before the fire. It is better to be safe then sorry!

8. DARIJA Says:
   December 1st, 2007 at 9:54 pm

   I work for a fire restoration company and every year I warn my friend about things they should never do. The fist is never leave home with your dryer running. So many fires start in the home when people leave their dryers on when they cannot be there to watch it. The next biggest fire starter is candles left burning. Always double check you candle after blowing it out. Sometimes it can restart. Double checking will keep you can your famiy safe.

9. Michelle Says:
   September 18th, 2008 at 2:27 pm

   While this was no accident, it is a part of fire safety that most people do not talk about or atleast I never heard about this as a kid. My brother, during his teenage years, was a rebellious child. One day I was playing in the woods behind our house and I saw him trying to start a fire behind our house. I went inside and told my mom right away. Later, I found out he was doing it on purpose! Even though most kids when playing with fire are not intentionally trying to kill their families (my brother is a psycho!), I think we need to make children more aware than ever of how fire can hurt others, even if you are just being curious. Whatever happened to my brother? My mom called the cops on him and made him clean up the mess he made. Now he works as a Building Engineer trying to make buildings safe! Imagine that!

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