This year’s National Fire

Prevention theme focuses

on cooking fires, the #1

cause of home fires and

injuries today.

The holiday season is a

peak time for cooking

fires.

The top three days for

kitchen fires in order are

Thanksgiving, Christmas

Day and Christmas Eve.

For more information on

cooking fires and how to

keep your home safe,

check out our Fire Preven-

tion section on page 2

The Montgomery County

Fire Marshal’s Office was

established by Commis-

sioner’s Court in 1967.

The MCFMO’s primary

responsibilities are the

investigation of the cause

and origin of fires and

explosions, as well as fire

prevention and code en-

forcement in unincorpo-

rated Montgomery County.

The MCFMO routinely as-

sists other Fire and Police

agencies throughout the

area, including several

local municipalities.

Please feel free to share

this newsletter with your

friends and neighbors.

Each year, thousands of

Americans are killed in

home fires and many times

that are injured or left

homeless after a fire.

While there is never a

good time to have a fire,

the risk of fires increase

during the winter, especial-

ly during the holidays.

Cooler temperatures, cook-

ing, and holiday traditions

all increase the risk of fire

in the home.

This newsletter contains

valuable tips on how to

prevent a fire in your

home, and if a fire were to

occur, how to protect your

family from harm.

For more information

Find us here on Facebook!

Our Role in the Community

Become a Firefighter!

Interested in serving your

community? Want to learn

new skills or explore new

careers?

While most County Fire

Departments now have

career staff, many still rely

on Volunteer Firefighters

as well.

Consider joining your local

Fire Department.

You can make a difference

as a Volunteer Firefighter

serving Montgomery

County.

To find out more, contact

your local fire station.

All training and equipment

is provided for you by your

Fire Department. Your

only commitment is your

time and desire to serve.

December13th,2013

Montgomery County

Fire Marshal’s Office

Inside this

issue:

Fire Prevention

Week

2

Get Cooking with

Fire Safety

2

Smoke Detectors;

Are you prepared?

2

Home Heating

Safety

3

Is our Drought

over for SE Texas?

4

MCFMO Fire

Scenes

5

2013 - A Tough

Year for FFs

6

Don’t be a Turkey! 7

Christmas 2013 Prevention and Safety

Special points of

interest:

Fire Prevention Week

Cooking Safety

Home Heating Fires

Status of Drought

The Great Chicago Fire was

a conflagration that burned

from Sunday, October 8, to

early Tuesday, October 10,

1871, killing hundreds and

destroying about 3.3 square

miles in the City of Chicago.

The fire consumed 17,500

buildings leaving 1/3 of the

population homeless and

estimates place the loss of

life at 300 or more.

Though the fire was one of

the largest U.S. disasters of

the 19th century, Chicago

was rebuilt and continued to

grow as one of the most pop-

ulous and economically im-

portant American cities.

On the same day as the Great

Chicago Fire, a much larger

forest fire raged through

Wisconsin and Michigan.

Whipped up by a freak

cyclonic cold front, The

Great Peshtigo Fire con-

sumed 1.2 million acres of

forest and 12 communities

were destroyed.

Although overshadowed by

the Chicago fire, the Great

Peshtigo Fire was the worst

recorded forest fire in history

and the deadliest fire ever

seen in the United States.

Estimates place the numbers

of dead as high as 2400, with

many victims never found.

On the 40th anniversary of

the Great Chicago Fire, the

International Fire Marshal’s

Association declared that the

anniversary should be ob-

served in a way that would

keep the public informed

about the importance of fire

prevention. The commemora-

tion grew incrementally over

the years up to World War I.

In 1920, President Woodrow

Wilson issued a proclamation

for an annual Fire Safety Day,

and since 1922 Fire Preven-

tion Week has been observed

on the Sunday through Satur-

day period in which October 9

falls.

Each year 3000 lives are lost

in fires in the U.S. with 85% of

those deaths occurring in

home fires.

When smoke alarms fail to

operate, it is usually because

batteries are missing, discon-

nected or dead. Almost one-

quarter of the smoke alarm

failures were due to dead

batteries.

Will you or your family be-

come a part of this national

tragedy? Take action today!

Recent surveys indicate that

over 90% of all homes in

America have at least one

smoke detector, so why

aren't the number of deaths

decreasing each year?

Those same surveys reveal a

troubling statistic. As many

as 1/3 of those smoke detec-

tors will never function due

to missing or dead batteries.

Having a working smoke de-

tector in your home cuts your

chance of dying in half.

Recent advances in smoke

detector technology include

the use of long life lithium

batteries that can last as long

as 10 years. Many of these

long life smoke alarms are

tamper resistant and de-

signed to be disposable after

their 10 year life expectancy.

These types of detectors cost

a little more initially but they

can save money in the long

run as you never have to re-

place the batteries.

Fire in America - How Fire Prevention Week came to be

Smoke Detectors— Are You Prepared?

According to the NFPA, cook-

ing is the leading cause of

fire in the home. Two of eve-

ry five home fires began in

the kitchen, more than any

other place in the home.

Cooking fires are also the

leading cause of fire-related

injuries. Non-fatal home

cooking fires accounted for

57 percent of reported inju-

ries where victims tried to

fight the fire themselves.

The following precautions can

keep your home safe from

kitchen fires:

Stay in the kitchen when you

are frying, grilling, broiling,

or boiling food.

Keep children and pets at

least three feet away from

the stove.

Keep pot holders, paper

towels, and anything that

can burn away from your

stove top.

Clean up food and grease

from burners and stove tops.

Prevent Kitchen Fires – Get Cooking With Fire Safety

All during the month of Octo-

ber, Firefighters and the Na-

tional Fire Protection Associa-

tion (NFPA) promoted this

year’s fire prevention theme:

“Prevent Kitchen Fires! – Get

Cooking with Fire Safety”.

This year’s campaign focuses

on preventing home kitchen

fires – most resulting from

unattended cooking – and

teaching the public how to

prevent kitchen fires from

starting in the first place.

Page 2 Montgomery County

Great Chicago Fire

October 8th, 1871

“Cooking is the

number one cause of

fire and injury in the

United States today.

Cooking fires account

for over 1/2 of all

reported injuries in

home fires.”

Montgomery County has al-

ready seen freezing tempera-

tures and some forecasts call

for record low temps near the

Christmas holiday.

Current long range forecasts

indicate that our area could

see temperatures in the teens

with highs only in the 20s by

Christmas Day.

If these predictions hold true,

our temperatures could rival

our record Christmas freeze

in 1989, when a record low

of 11 degrees was recorded

in Houston.

Now is the time to prepare

for the winter weather ahead.

With cooler temperatures, Montgom-

ery County Firefighters have already

responded to a number of home fires

due to home heating devices.

Home heating fires are second in

number only to cooking fires, but are

more deadly because many occur at

night while residents are sleeping.

Portable space heaters are responsi-

ble for a disproportionate number of

home heating deaths, totaling ap-

proximately 45% of the home heating

fire deaths each year.

Now is the time to make sure your

home has working smoke detectors

and your home’s heating appliances

are safe and ready to use.

Home Heating Safety

The high cost of home heat-

ing fuels and utilities has

caused many Americans to

search for alternative home

heating sources such as

wood burning stoves, space

heaters, and fireplaces.

Heating is one of the leading

causes of residential fires.

Over one-quarter of these

fires result from improper

maintenance of equipment,

specifically the failure to

clean the equipment.

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide (CO) poi-

soning is another danger

when using heating equip-

ment fueled by fossil fuel.

It occurs most often when

equipment is not vented

properly.

CO deaths have been on the

rise since 1999, and esti-

mates range as high as 700

deaths annually. Carbon

monoxide poisoning is most

fatal to adults 65 or older.

If your homes has gas appli-

ances, make sure you have a

working carbon monoxide

detector on each floor

The Role of Alternative Heating Sources in Home Fires

in 2010, heating equipment

was involved in an estimated

57,100 reported U.S. home

structure fires, with associat-

ed losses of 490 civilian

deaths, 1,540 civilian inju-

ries, and $1.1 billion in direct

property damage. These fires

accounted for 16% of all re-

ported home fires.

Page 3 Prevention and Safety

Home Heating Fires

57,100 fires

490 Deaths

1540 Injuries

1.1 Billon damages

16% of all fires

Keep space heaters 3 ft

away from anything that

will burn

Space heaters should be

turned off when not in use

and should never be left

on overnight.

Always plug a heater di-

rectly into the wall, never

into an extension cord or

power strip with other

devices

All space heaters should

have a safety switch that

will shut the heater off

when it is tipped over

Download these NFPA safe-ty tips on home heating

Montgomery County and

most of Texas has been

blessed with ample rainfall

over the last couple of

months, with some areas of

Southeast Texas receiving

over 10” of rain.

Current forecasts call for a

milder winter with normal

rainfall amounts. Lack of a

clear La Nina / El Nino pat-

tern in the Pacific Ocean

makes long range forecasting

difficult, but the general con-

sensus is that Texas will con-

tinue to have a greater

chance of drought, especially

during the summer, for sev-

eral more years.

La Nina is characterized by unusually

cold ocean temps in the equatorial

Pacific, compared to El Nino, which

is characterized by warmer tempera-

tures near the Equator.

In recent years, a strong La Nina led

to record summer temperatures and

droughts, leading up to our worst

ever wildfire season in 2011.

While the future is uncertain, you

should always look for ways to im-

prove your home’s wildfire defenses.

For more info check out the Texas

Forest Service website.

http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/

main/default.aspx

The Drought is over! OR IS IT?

6) Consider fire-resistant

material for patio furniture,

swing sets, etc.

7) Firewood stacks and pro-

pane tanks should not be

located in this zone.

8) Water plants, trees and

mulch regularly.

9) Consider xeriscaping if

you are affected by water-use

restrictions.

Zone 2 (Moderate and High

Hazard Areas) Plants in this

zone should be low-growing,

well irrigated, and less flam-

mable.

1) Leave 30 feet between

clusters of two to three trees,

or 20 feet between individual

trees.

2) Encourage a mixture of

deciduous and coniferous

trees.

3) Create ‘fuel breaks’, like

driveways & gravel walkways.

4) Prune trees up six to ten

feet from the ground.

Zone 3 (High Hazard Areas)

Thin this area, although less

space is required than in

Zone 2.

Remove smaller conifers that

are growing between taller

trees. Remove heavy accumu-

lation of woody debris.

Reduce the density of tall

trees so canopies are not

touching.

Firewise Landscaping and Construction

Use the Zone Concept.

Zone 1— All Hazard Areas

This well-irrigated area encir-

cles the structure and all its

attachments—(wood decks,

fences, and boardwalks) for

at least 30 feet on all sides.

1) Plants should be carefully

spaced, low-growing and free

of resins, oils and waxes that

readily burn

2) Mow regularly & prune

lower limbs from trees

3) Space conifer trees 30 feet

between crowns. Trim back

trees that overhang the

house.

4) Create a ‘fire-free’ area

within five feet of the home,

using non-flammable land-

scaping materials and/or

high-moisture-content annu-

als and perennials.

5) Remove dead vegetation

from under deck and within

10 feet of house.

Page 4 Prevention and Safety

The primary goal for

Firewise landscaping is

fuel reduction — limiting

the amount of

flammable vegetation

and materials around

the home.

Click here for more info

MCFMO Fire Scenes

Hwy 242 - Outdoor Fryer near attached garage

Grangerland - Fatal Kitchen Fire Splendora Home Fire —Space heaters too close to

a Christmas tree

South Montgomery County Chimney Fire

2013 - In Memory of Those Lost

Dobbin - Mock Family Fatal Home Gas Explosion

West Fire Department - April 2013 Houston Fire Department - May 2013

Bryan Fire Department - February 2013

Granite Mountain Hotshots - June 2013

Bobby Foreman Carmine Sanguedolce

Caney Creek Magnolia

The leading cause of fires in the kitch-

en is unattended cooking. It’s im-

portant to always be alert to prevent

cooking fires.

If you are sleepy or have consumed

alcohol don’t use the stove or stov-

etop.

Stay in the kitchen while you are fry-

ing, grilling, or broiling food. If you

leave the kitchen for even a short peri-

od of time, turn off the stove.

If you are simmering, baking, roast-

ing, or boiling food, check it regularly,

remain in the home while food is

cooking, and use a timer to remind

you that you are cooking.

Keep anything that can catch fire —

oven mitts, wooden utensils, food

packaging, towels or curtains — away

from your stovetop.

Thanksgiving day is the #1 day for

home cooking fires in America,

followed closely by Christmas Day

and Christmas Eve.

While cooking fires are the most

common cause of home fires year

round, they are especially prevalent

during the holidays.

Increased cooking activity, distrac-

tions and alternative cooking appli-

ances are all factors in this increase

If you have a cooking fire

Just get out! When you leave,

close the door behind you to

help contain the fire.

Call 9-1-1 after you leave.

Don’t be a Turkey in the Kitchen!

The Montgomery County Fire

Marshal’s Office would like to

wish everyone a safe and Merry

Christmas and a Happy New

Year!

MCFMO personnel will be on

duty throughout the holiday

season. Our office hours are 8

AM to 5 PM weekdays and our

office is located at 2247 N.

First, Conroe, Tx 77301. Our

office # is (936) 538-8288

For after hours emergencies,

MCFMO personnel are dis-

patched through the Montgom-

ery County Sheriff’s Office and

County Fire Dispatch Center.

You can also email us 24/7

with fire safety and code ques-

tions - fire.codes@mctx.org

MCFMO Newsletter Christmas 2013

We’re on the Web!

www.mctx.org/fire

Download these NFPA

safety tips on cooking.