Fire safety issues are very important for every age group but especially for seniors. According to the Federal Emergency Managment Agency (FEMA), in 2015, about 15% of the United States’ population were over the age of 65.
Yet, 40% of all fatal fires that year involved those in senior age groups.
Statistics like this show how critical it is to include fire safety as part of the overall re-education of making the home environment safer not only for a senior family member, but also for a caregiver and other family members or any pets living in the residence..
Fire prevention is still the best method of fire safety. Since some older adults may have difficulties moving quickly, and suffer more than others when injuries and smoke inhalation occur, it is essential to prevent fires from happening at all.
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Here is my list of fire safety tips for seniors and their caregivers.
- Be realistic about physical capabilities and cognitive impairments of the older adult(s) in the home. They may not be able to react properly in emergency situations.
- Have an escape plan in the event of a home fire.
- If possible, have more than one escape route out of your house.
- Have working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors on the ground floor and other floors as well.
- Use some type of mechanical early warning of a fire in your bedroom like an alexa device by your bedside alert you of the smoke alarm. Use the Alexa Guard skill for this.
- Never wear loose clothing when cooking.
- Never put bars on doors and windows.
- Equip the home with easy to use and accessible fire extinguishers.
- Avoid or use extreme caution with flammable objects like candles, hand sanitizers, an oxygen tank, portable heaters, etc.
- Avoid hazardous behavior like wearing loose clothing while cooking, smoking in bed, overloading electrical sockets, etc.
- Use space heaters correctly (here are some tips)
- Be careful using electric blankets (here are some tips for you)
- Keep flammable items like rugs away from a wood stove.
- Keep up with maintaining fireplace inspections, dryer inspections, etc.
- Use voice search tools like Alexa and Google Home to call 911 for emergency assistance.
- If you have pets, be extra cautious and vigilant to keep them from accidentally starting a fire.
- Keep a list of favorite contacts on your cell phone that you can use as emergency phone numbers.
- Use a licensed electrician for any electrical work or repairs in your home.
- If you are a smoker, never fall asleep while smoking and be careful to completely put out your cigarette, cigar or pipe.
During 2012-2016, an estimated annual average of 18,100 (5%) reported home structure fires started by smoking materials killed an average of 590 (23%) people annually, injured 1,130 (10%) per year, and caused $476 million in direct property damage (7%) per year.
National Fire Protection Association
Many of these I listed are necessary steps so go through this list thoroughly.
Smoking related fires can easily be avoided so be smart! It’s just a small part of making your home as senior-friendly and as safe as possible.
Fire Safety In The Home For Seniors
Before any of the following fire safety tips are implemented, the first step is to be realistic about what the elderly person in the home can and cannot do, both cognitively and physically.
You may not realize but it only takes 3 to 4 minutes for a fire to go from a spark to the time a room is engulfed in flames.
If anyone in the home cannot get out in that amount of time, there is more of a need to put in as many safeguards as possible.
It doesn’t make sense to put fire extinguishers throughout the house if your parent(s) can’t remember how to use them or are even able to lift them.
This is where practicing the emergency escape plan frequently throughout the year would come in handy. We all want to keep our seniors safe as much as possible.
If the senior loved one has dementia or Alzheimer’s then you may have installed some kind of lock on the door to prevent them from wandering away or perhaps concocted some other homemade method to make it as difficult as possible to open or unlock a door.
This works very well for preventing them from wandering but will not work well in the case of a fire emergency.
I would instead recommend to use some product that includes a GPS program. Something like a Life Alert or a GPS enabled watch (this particular one also has an anti fall alarm which is pretty cool!)
For information on fire safety issues in Care Homes – check out this article on Fire Safety Considerations In Care Homes.
Smoke Alarms And Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Starting back in 1999, the NFPA began requiring that smoke alarms and detectors be replaced every 10 years.
The lithium batteries in these units has a 10 year lifespan, making these one of the best products on the market for home safety.
Smoke Alarms and Detectors
There are basically three types of alarms that can installed in your home.
- Battery powered units
- Hard wired units with a battery backup
- Smoke alarms combined with a monoxide detector
Of course, choose the units that would best suit your home environment but the ones that we recommend are…
Battery Powered
A battery powered smoke alarm doesn’t need any wiring and will continue to monitor for smoke even if there is a power failure.
An important note about any battery powered items in your home – make sure to have backup batteries on hand so I would recommend to purchase batteries and have them in an accessible location.
Or – you can go a step further and purchase a battery kit that includes the case and a battery tester as well.
Hard Wired
This type of smoke alarm is hard wired into your home’s electrical system. Get one with a battery back up so it continues to work in the event of a power failure.
Combination
A combination smoke alarm / carbon monoxide detector monitors for both smoke and high carbon monoxide levels in the home. Be sure to get one with a battery backup, like this one from First Alert. IF you have a power failure, it will continue to work.
Strobe Light (for hearing impaired)
This type of smoke detector has a flashing strobe light to alert those who have a hearing impairment and might not otherwise hear a smoke alarm.
Voice Alert (for vision impaired)
For those who are visually impaired, a voice alert smoke detector / carbon monoxide detector emits an alarm by voice, telling the person what type of danger there is and where it’s located.
Click here for a handy Fire Safety Checklist for Caregivers and Seniors from FEMA
Fire Extinguishers For Elderly
Besides a kitchen fire extinguisher, you want to make sure to have fire extinguishers throughout the house.
You may not know it but there are different types of fire extinguishers for different classes of fires and they help determine the size of the fire extinguisher you need for a home.
- Class A – ordinary fires, including burning wood, cloth, paper, and plastic
- Class B – flammable liquid fires, including burning gasoline, oil, propane, and kerosene
- Class C – electrical fires, where a short circuit or overloaded electrical outlet sets fire to nearby combustible items
- Class D – flammable metal fires, including sodium, potassium, titanium, and magnesium (usually found in chemical laboratories and industrial plants)
- Class K – kitchen fires, where grease or hot oils catch fire while cooking
When purchasing an extinguisher, make sure you buy one that can put out the types of fire that are most likely to occur. For most homes, the class A, B, C and K fire extinguishers are all that are needed.
Of course, you can have different types of extinguishers placed throughout the house accordingly.
Recommended Fire Extinguishers
Class A B C (for most common fires, flammable liquid and electrical fires)
Class K (for kitchen fires)
Generally, fire extinguishers can be a problem for someone if they have arthritis in their hands, if they have very weak upper body strength and/or if they panic in a stressful situation.
So I strongly recommend to consider the condition of the homeowner before investing in a fire extinguisher.
To operate the traditional fire extinguisher the user has to…
- Lift the extinguisher (common weights are between 4 and 20 pounds)
- Pull the pin out
- Pull out the hose
- Aim the hose at the base of the fire
- Sweep the spray from side to side
If the older adult that would be handling this fire extinguisher has any problem with any of these steps, I would recommend using an extinguisher that may accommodate them (i.e. a lightweight one).
Of course, the senior should follow kitchen fire safety tips for prevention, and also practice using the extinguisher during rehearsals of their fire escape plan (which I recommend you do at least twice a year).
Also know that fire extinguishers are good for 5 to 15 years.
You may want to consider Fire Suppressant Canisters – they are easier to use and work on A, B and C class fires. But note that there is a safety tab that must first be removed in order to use it.
If it’s too difficult for your senior loved one to remove the tab, I would recommend that you go ahead and remove it and store it as is – ready to use.
Also, make sure to check the expiration dates on these canisters.
Fire Blankets
If using a fire extinguisher or even a fire suppressant canister are not feasible options for your senior loved one, I would then recommend a Fire Extinguishing Blanket.
If you have a pan fire (liquid or grease), this will put out the fire without using a fire extinguisher. All the senior has to do is pull down the tabs on the wrapper, open the blanket,and toss it onto the fire.
More about Fire Blankets here.
Flammable Products
It’s important to know what classifies as combustible materials. Everyday products that you would not think could contribute to a fire.
The following products are to be used / stored with caution.
Hand Sanitizers – the majority of hand sanitizers contain a large volume of alcohol so they are classified as Class I Flammable Liquid substances. This means that any spilled hand sanitizer must be cleaned up immediately, it must be stored away from all heat and ignition sources (including electrical outlets and hot temperatures).
In case you do experience a fire caused by hand sanitizers – the best way to extinguish it is with either alcohol foam or a Class B fire extinguisher.
Other products that could also cause a fire if stored or used near heat, fire and ignition sources include…
- Nail Polish Remover
- Hair Spray
- Antiperspirants
- Paraffin based skin cream
- Aerosol cans
- Cooking oil
- Oranges
- Flour
- Non dairy creamer
- Laundry detergent
- Fabric softeners
- Rubbing Alcohol
Candles – it’s easy to see how candles can start house fires. The key here is the candle holder. If candles must be used, I would suggest to use a candle holder that encases the candle – like an open tube.
But make sure that it can be handled without feeling the heat of the glass or ceramic container.
Cell Phones and Tablets – many of us are in the habit of charging our phones throughout the night. There’s normally no problem with this habit except if you leave your phone on the bed or sofa chair or other cushion type of material.
It’s rare, but phones and tablets can get hot while they are charging. Some have been known to catch on fire.
The general recommendation is to place the phone or tablet on a flat surface (like a nightstand) and make sure there are no flammable materials near it.
Hazardous Fire Behavior
As seniors age, they may engage in certain hazardous behaviors that can increase their risk of experiencing a fire in their homes.
These fire hazards may range from simple oversights, such as leaving a stove burner on or placing flammable materials too close to a heat source, to more significant risks, such as smoking indoors or using outdated electrical appliances.
It is important for seniors and their caregivers to be aware of these potential fire hazards and take proactive steps to mitigate them, in order to ensure their safety and prevent the devastating consequences that can result from a house fire.
Here are some common hazardous behaviors to be aware of.
Careless Smoking – This is the leading cause of fire deaths in the USA. Smoking-related fires are one of the most common causes of fires in homes with older adults.
It’s so very easy to fall asleep on the sofa or the recliner or in bed with a lit cigarette in your hand.
It only takes a few minutes for a lit cigarette to ignite a fire.
Loose Clothing While Cooking – I can’t tell you how many times I would caution my aunt to stop wearing clothes with long loose sleeves while she cooked over open flames.
Clothes are flammable items! It seems like such a silly little thing until that sleeve or scarf or shawl catches on fire!
The holidays are a peak time for a cooking-related fire so be extra special during this time.
Window Security Bars – Window security bars, although they can provide added safety and protection against intruders, can also pose a significant fire hazard. In the event of a fire, these bars can prevent occupants from escaping through the windows, which may be the only viable exit point. It is crucial to ensure that window security bars have a quick-release mechanism that allows for easy removal in the event of an emergency.
Gas Water Heater – There should be a minimum of 3 feet of cleared space surrounding the gas water heater. If the cover plate has fallen off, please replace it immediately!
Portable Space Heaters – During the winter months, we always hear of fires and deaths that were started by portable space heaters. Again, keep a minimum of 3 feet of clearance around these heaters and please don’t use them while sleeping.
Cooktops – The open flame of a gas stove combined with nearby combustible materials is one of the biggest fire risks, however many of us use kitchen towels and oven mitts throughout the cooking process and sometimes we put them down too close to the stove where something is cooking.
We often do it without thinking but 23% of house fires (and 9% of deaths) are caused by cooking fires. Don’t become part of these statistics. Unattended cooking can start fires, too, so always watch what’s on the stove.
NOTE: If any of your clothing does catch on fire – the rule of thumb is to Drop and Roll until the fire is out. If you are physically unable to do this then a fire blanket like the one I mentioned above can be used. But the one thing you shouldn’t do is to run which may only help to spread the fire.
Electrical Cords – Stop using electrical cords or extension cords that are frayed or overloaded. The price of replacing these is minimal compared to the cost of a fire or your life.
Candles – I have an elderly neighbor who enjoys placing candles throughout her home for ambiance. This is beautiful, of course but can be a safety hazard.
If you (or your senior loved one) enjoys this practice I would strongly recommend to replace those traditional candles with battery powered ones.
The Enpornk Candles are made out of real wax and they include timers which is great if you have a tendency to forget to turn them off!
Home Fire Safety Inspection
There are several things you should check regularly as part of an annual home fire safety inspection:
Old Smoke Alarms – There’s no excuse for not maintaining the smoke alarms and carbon dioxide alarms in your home. Test them monthly.
Fireplace – If you happen to live in a home with a fireplace – you should have your chimney and fireplace inspected once a year no matter if it’s a wood burning or a gas fireplace.
Dryer Vents – There are approximately 2900 fires each year caused by clothes dryers. You can easily avoid this by simply having your dryer vent ductwork cleaned out at least once a year.
Pet Fire Safety
I’ve written before about the important role that pets play in our lives, and especially the lives of our senior loved ones. So, including them in a fire safety plan is imperative.
Here are my tips on how to best protect your home and your pet from fire.
Keep objects like candles out of your pet’s reach. We all know a good wag of a dog’s tail can knock down most things.
Be cognizant of where any items that may ignite a fire such as candles, cigarettes, etc. are located and if your pet can reach them.
Place a pet fire safety sticker by your front door. It will alert the first responders that you have pets inside and how many. You can get free stickers here from the ASPCA.
Include your pet in the fire escape plan. Either designate someone to be responsible to get the pet or keep your furry friend in such a place where they can escape a fire.
I hope that you and any of your loved ones never have to experience the trauma of living through a fire, but I am sure that if you follow these tips you will at least be more prepared than most if it were to happen.
Wrapping Up Our Fire Safety Tips For Seniors
In this article we listed essential fire safety tips for all homes but especially ones with older adults.
We reviewed products such as smoke alarms, fire blankets, CO detectors and more. These can all help to keep you safe from a fire.
We also talked about the importance of a fire escape plan from a one story or two story home.
We hope that the information we provided here will help to keep you protected from a possible fire in your home.
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