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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1979)
Spilyay Tymoo December 21,1979 Page 7 Extension Notes from Pennie Little and Clint Jacks Use Christmas decorations safely Each year thousands of A m erican fam ilies suffer needless injuries, loss of life and destruction of property due to accidents involving holiday decorations. Many of these accidents, from the child taken to a hospital after swallowing pieces, of a broken ornament to the family burned to death in a home fire after a Christmas tree ignited, can be traced to unsafe or improperly used decora tions. Lighting Purchase lights that have been checked for safety. Look f o r th e UL l a b e l o f Underwriters’ Laboratories. Check your tree lights and outdoor lights each year before you use them. Look for frayed wires, loose connections, broken or cracked sockets and spots where bare "wire is exposed. Any set that is damaged should be thrown out or repaired. Careful handling of these p ro d u c ts' during unpacking, decorating and repacking will lessen the chance of hazardous damage. All lights should be fastened securely to the tree. No light bulbs should come into direct contact with the needles or branches. Curtains and other flammable materials should also be kept away from bulbs. Don’t overload extension cords. Don’t put more than three sets of lights on any extension cord. Keep the connection joints away from the water supply of a live tree. Any outdoor lights should be w eatherproof and clearly identified as designed for outdoor use. Don’t try to use indoor lights for outdoor lighting. Remove outdoor, lighting as soon as the season is over even these lights are not d e s ig n e d to w ith s ta n d prolonged exposure to the elements. When you leave the house or retire for the evening, be sure that all lights are turned off by unplugging them from the wall outlet. Always disconnect any electric appliance by grasping the plug, not by pulling on the cord. Finally, though it may provide a sense of nastalgia, never use wax candles on or near a tree. This is a very serious fire hazard. Any decorative candles should always be kept well away from children and any flammable materials, such as pine bbughs. Tree Ornaments and Trim mings: Avoid placing breakable ornaments or ornaments with small detachable parts on lower branches where small children or pets can reach them and knock them off. Every year many children are treated for cuts from broken ornaments or for swallowing ornament parts. Trimming used on trees or around the home should be non-cum bustible or flame resistant. Use wood and coal burning stoves safely The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that there were 870 burn injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms last year involving wood and coal burning heating stoves and free standing fireplaces. To avoid fires and accidental injury when using wood and coal burning stoves, it is im portant to install them properly and keep flammable objects away from them. The following are causes of accidental injury associated with wood and coal burning stoves: 1. Stoves and flues can become extremely hot and start fires on adjacent walls, floors and furnishings. It is best to have a 3-foot clearance on all sides of stoves. Fireproof materials sh o u ld a lso be p laced underneath stoves and on nearby walls. 2. Contact with the flame or hot surface are—Your clothing can ignite from the flame and cause severe burns. Falling against or touching the outer surface can also cause burn injuries. 3. Using flammable liquids to start or “ stoke” a fire— Flammable liquids such as gasoline must not be used or stored in any room where there is an open flame. Flammable v a p o rs can tra v e l long distances across the floor of a room and ignite if they reach a flame. 4. Carbon Monoxide poi- soining—Burning fuels can produce deadly quantities of carbon monixide. You need adequate fresh air when you use stoves to avoid this hazard. It is especially important to see that the heater is installed properly, and that the flue, connected according to local building codes, is cleaned frequently. ■ The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission offers the following suggestions for, the ¡election, installation, safe use, ind maintenance of wood and :oal burning heating stoves: Selection —Before you buy, ask your local building inspector or fire department for any require ments for heating stoves. —Look for a stove that has been approved by a nationally recognized testing agency. —Buy a. stove that can be vented to the outside. Be aware that an older stove may be accidentally cracked, allowing deadly quantities of carbon monoxide to escape. —Heating equipment for’ mobile homes should be selected with special care. Only e q u ip m e n t liste d by a nationally recognized agency for use in mobile homes should be used. Check with your building inspector for these requirements. Installation: —The stove should be installed by a qualified person. If you must install it yourself, first check with your local building code officials or fire m arshal fo r in sta lla tio n requirem ents and recom mendations. Also, carefully read the m a n u fa c tu re r’s installation directions. —Some local governments require that buyers of wood burning stoves get a permit to install them. Officials must be allowed to inspect the stoves for safety after installation. —To prevent overheating and ignition of floors and wall coverings, the stove should be placed on a brick platform, fireproof stoveboard, or other non-combustible materials, at least 36 inches from side walls (unless specifically advised otherwise in the manufacturer’s instructions for a product that has been approved by a nationally recognized testing agency). If you need to install a stove closer to the wall, see your building code official for kinds of fireproofing to be installed on nearby walls. —Don’t put a stove near drapes, furniture, or other flammable materials or near traffic lanes. — Don’t use a pipe labeled “vent” as a chimney since it can get very hot (vent pipes are only a single thickness of metal). Use in s te a d an a ll-m a s o n ry chimney or one certified by a nationally recognized testing agency as an “all-fuel” chimney (it's double insulated or triple walled, air cooled). Use — Keep a window slightly open when you use a heating stove to provide enough oxygen for proper combustion a n d to p re v e n t c a rb o n monixide poisoning. — Keep kindling, drapes, n e w sp a p e rs an d o th e r flammable materials away from the stove. ; —Use the proper fuel: * To prevent overheating, don’t u^e coal in a wood burning stove. * To prevent explosions, don’t use flammable liquids on a wood or coal fire. To avoid carbon monixide and other poisonous gases, don’t use charcoal or other fuels not intended for these stoves. —Keep children away from stoves because they can be burned simply by touching the hot surface. —Keep the stove door closed or use a metal screen while the fire is burning to keep sparks from flying. —Don’t store or use gasoline or other flammable liquids in the same room with the stove. Never use any of these to start a fire. —Try to keep a fire at a moderate heat, neither too cool nor too hot. If the fire is too low, flammable gases may explode when the door is opened, and residue, such as creosote, may build up in the :himney causing a fire. In addition, a low flame may cause moisture to consense in the fuel and lead to corrosion of metal parts. •- a —A glowing red stovepipe is dangerous! Never stoke up the fire so hot that it changes the color of the stovepipe, cool the fire quickly by closing the stove’s dampers and partially closing the stovepiep damper. If that doesn’t cool it fast enough, put a few shovels full of cool ashes on top of the burning wood or coal. — Use chimney guards since squirrels and birds’ nests can stop up chimneys. — Make sure all the wood used is dry. Green wood can cause c o rro siv e and or flammable deposits to form in the stove and flue which can deteriorate the metal. — Don’t dispose of paper, polystyrene, or trash by burning them in the stove. — Don’t transfer ashes from the stove to a cardboard box. Hot ashes may be “live” for more than 24 hours and can cause delayed fires. Place ashes in metal containers only and dispose of when cool. —Don’t hang clothes near the stove to dry since they may catch fire. Maintenance — H ave h e a tin g stoves inspected once a year to insure that all linings and chimneys are intact, and that the stove is properly adjusted and clean. Keep chimney free of soot and blockage and have it inspected and cleaned at least once a year. —Check stoves for acciden tal cracks or faulty legs and hinges. —Replace loose or missing guards, and defective parts of th stove and chimney. —Keep on hand a fire extinguisher that is suitable for wood or coal fires. Lucy Teaman Lucy Teeman, a freshman at Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma, recently repre sented the Freshman Class as a candidate for the annual Warrior Princess chosen by the TWO TICKETS PLEASE—Hazel Suppah and her grandaughter Sher old Thomas went to the Ice Capades and the River Queen Restaurant along with 60 other Simnasho students. Barents and Warm Springs first graders. Rich Little, teacher at Simnasho and Emily Parker, first grade teacher at Warm Springs organized the trip. The trip was partially funded with Johnson O ’M alley monies as well as money raised at a recent bake sale, and from poster sales, bottle drives and the October rummage sale at the Community Center. Spilyay Tymoo Photo by Shewzyk college. F ifte e n fre s h m a n a n d sophomore girls competed for the title of 1980 Warrior Princess, with the winner to represent the school for the next year and be featured in the college yearbook. The Warrior. Teeman, a Warm Springs, Yakima, Paiute Indian, was a graduate of Wahtonka High School, in The Dalles, Oregon. A journalism major, she is a member of the publications board, pep club, Indian club, Sigma Society, and intramural sports. 'v
