Department takes more practical approach to preventing smoking-related fires
By Loren Stanton
May 19, 2010 - Sun Publications

When two blazes claimed the lives of Overland Park residents in 2008, Fire Department officials began to ask themselves a question.
In both of those cases, careless handling of cigarettes was deemed the cause of the fires, and the victims were elderly. So, the department hierarchy wondered, how might they better prevent other smoking-related tragedies, especially involving older adults?

"There was a re-examination of what we were doing," said Jason Rhodes, the department's public information officer. "We used to tell people, 'It's simple, don't smoke.' What we realized is, that's not a very realistic option for some people who have been smoking for a long time and just are not going to quit."

Older longtime smokers were seen as particularly vulnerable. And with age of the population rising, the department felt an added sense of urgency to find better prevention methods, Rhodes said.

"With older adults, the smoking can be especially hazardous because there sometimes are mobility and cognitive issues," he said.

Ultimately, the department adopted a less scolding tone and a more instructional one in its fire safety instruction efforts.

"We don't feel like we will convince them to stop smoking, so we're trying instead to teach them to smoke safer," said Tricia Roberts, public education specialist for the department.

Local officials also are mindful of national statistics showing that smoking is the leading cause of home fire fatalities. In 2007, there were 595 U.S. deaths and 1,200 injuries related to smoking, according to the National Fire Data Center of the U.S. Fire Administration. Residential property losses from smoking-material blazes amounted to $327 million nationally.

In a recent three-week period, Overland Park had two residential fires attributed to careless discarding of cigarettes. Combined, those fires resulted in damages of several hundred thousand dollars.

Other departments in the county also see such fires, but checks to other cities' firehouses indicated that Overland Park is putting more intense prevention efforts on smoking materials than its neighbors.

In Lenexa, there is less sense of urgency because it has been far less a problem. Marty Quick, Lenexa's prevention division fire chief, said that since January 2008 the department has recorded 18 smoking-related fire incidents but the total estimated loss has been only $33,000.

Some of the instructions the Overland Park department imparts when it has the chance are: use deep ash trays containing water or sand to extinguish cigarette butts; never smoke when on oxygen; never smoke when sleepy; never smoke in bed; never smoke when on medications causing drowsiness.

The department believes its message is being well-received and the response from individuals has been favorable. But reaching the target audience has its challenges.

Most elderly residents still live in their own homes rather than in an institutional environment where the department can talk to a number of people at once.

Instead, fire prevention officers like Roberts work with various agencies that routinely deal with an older client population, giving them fire safety information and asking that they pass it on.

The department also tries to get the information to the caregivers of older adults and disabled residents.

One way the department literally gets its foot in the door of some households is through its free smoke alarm program. Overland Park, and most of fire departments in the county, will install the alarms, and while in the home, personnel will make the most of the opportunity to pass on fire safety and prevention information.

"When we go in we also can do a quick fire safety check," Roberts said.

In addition to traditional smoke alarms, the department can install smoke alarms for deaf individuals that will alert them to a fire with a strobe light. The alarms also can be rigged with devices to shake a bed or chair to wake an occupant.

"This is helpful because people with hearing aids take those out when they go to bed," Rhodes said.

The Older Adults Fire Safety Program is being helped by a $16,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency grant to purchase more deaf alarms as well as stove-top fire extinguishers.