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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 6, 2011)
Page 8 The INDEPENDENT, July 6, 2011 Can you guess the most common cause of household fires? U.S. fire departments re- sponded to an estimated annu- al average of 373,900 home structure fires from 2005-2009 according to new research from the National Fire Protec- tion Association (NFPA). Ac- cording to the report, cooking fires remain the leading cause of home structure fires and home fire injuries, and smoking materials continue to be the leading cause of home fire deaths. During the five-year period covered by the report, roughly one in every 310 households per year had a reported home fire. Each year, these fires caused an estimated average of 2,650 civilian deaths, 12,890 civilian injuries, and $7.1 billion in direct property damage. On average, seven people died in U.S. home fires every day. One-quarter of the home fire deaths resulted from fires that originated in the bedroom, 24 percent from fires in the family room, living room, or den, and 15 percent from fires starting in the kitchen. Though only 20 percent of reported fires oc- curred between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., half of the deaths were caused by fires reported during this time. “These statistics are a sad reminder that fire is still a dead- ly threat and we must do more to prevent the needless deaths and losses,” said Lorraine Car- li, NFPA’s vice president of communications. “Properly in- stalled and maintained fire pro- tection devices, such as smoke alarms and residential fire sprinklers, can help to prevent most fire deaths.” Almost two-thirds (62%) of home fire deaths resulted from fires in which no smoke alarms were present at all (38%) or smoke alarms were present but did not operate (24%). The re- port also referenced John Hall’s recent report, U.S. Expe- rience with Sprinklers, which found that having wet pipe sprinkler systems in the home reduces chances of dying in a fire by 83 percent. The report is based on data from the U.S. Fire Administra- tion’s National Fire Incident Re- porting System and the Nation- al Fire Protection Association’s annual fire department experi- ence survey. Top ten fire safety tips from Mariolino’s Weekend Specials, Ice Cream Favorites In air conditioned comfort! 721 Madison Ave.,Vernonia • 503-429-5018 al Marijuan c i d a Me ry Se ive l e D High Quality rvice NFPA: • Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broil- ing food. If you must leave, even for a short time, turn off the stove. • Keep fixed and portable space heaters at least three feet from anything that can burn. Turn off heaters when you leave the room or go to sleep. • Ask smokers to smoke out- side. Have sturdy, deep ash- trays for smokers. • Keep matches and lighters up high, out of the reach of chil- dren, preferably in a cabinet with a child lock. • Replace electric cords that are cracked, damaged, have broken plugs, or have loose connections. • Keep candles at least one foot from anything that can burn. Blow out candles when you leave the room or go to sleep. • Make a home fire escape plan and practice it at least twice a year. • Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, in- side bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Interconnect smoke alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound. •Test smoke alarms at least once a month and replace con- ventional batteries once a year or when the alarm “chirps” to tell you the battery is low. Re- place any smoke alarm that is more than 10 years old. • If you are building or re- modeling your home, install residential fire sprinklers. Sprinklers can contain and may even extinguish a fire in less time than it would take the fire department to arrive. NFPA is an international Fast Service 503-805-2663 O.M.M.P. card required Visit us online at www.goweed.org 503-901-1705 nonprofit organization, founded in 1896, whose mission is to re- duce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, train- ing, and education. Visit NFPA’s website at http://www. nfpa.org for more information. Health care laws passed July 1 Landmark health care legis- lation enacted July 1 will im- prove the health of Oregoni- ans, improve the quality of care and reduce cost. House bill 3650, a centerpiece of Gover- nor Kitzhaber’s health care transformation agenda, will be- gin to shift the focus and finan- cial incentives of Oregon’s health care system from after- the-fact acute care to preven- tion, wellness and community- based management of chronic conditions. “The legislature’s action is critical to ensuring that Orego- nians get better health care at a lower cost,” said Governor Kitzhaber. “The strong biparti- san support for this landmark legislation demonstrates how effective we can be addressing the real issues facing Oregon when Democrats and Republi- cans come together.” House bill 3650 sets the stage for the creation of com- munity-based Coordinated Care Organizations (CCO) that will focus on prevention and patient outcomes by integrating physical health, mental health, and oral health. CCOs will be required to manage costs with- in a global budget. Over the next six months, workgroups will be putting together a plan for CCOs for the February leg- islature. Earlier this month the legis- lature passed Senate Bill 99, establishing the Oregon Health Insurance Exchange Corpora- tion to develop a plan for Ore- gon’s exchange. Through the Exchange, individuals and See Health on page 16 Columbia County Mental Health 800-294-5211 ----------------- Suicide Hotline 1-800- 784-2433 or 1-800-273- TALK(8255) Domestic Abuse Hotline 503-397-6161 or 866-397-6161 ----------------- Military Helpline 888-HLP-4-VET (888-457-4838)