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This year’s National Fire
Prevention theme focuses
on the importance of hav-
ing working smoke detec-
tors in your home.
In addition, 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 1969.
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.
We’ve moved! MCFMO Fire Inspectors are now located on the first
floor of the County Administration Building near downtown Conroe.
Our new address is 501 N. Thompson, Suite 102, Conroe, Tx 77301
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
Is our Drought
over for SE Texas?
3
Home Heating
Safety
4
Fire Prevention in
Barns
4
MCFMO in Action 5
Don’t be a Turkey! 8
Fall 2014 Montgomery County Fire
Special points of
interest:
Fire Prevention Week
Cooking Fires # 1
Status of Drought
Home Heating Safety
Barn Fire Prevention
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 fire 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?
January normally the deadli-
est time of year .
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) promote fire safe-
ty throughout the nation.
Fire safety is especially im-
portant at this time of year as
we approach the peak
months for home fires.
The number of home fires
nationally rises throughout
the winter months, mostly
due to home heating and
holiday cooking fires, with
November, December and
Page 2 Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office
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 and
most of SE Texas has been
blessed with sporadic rainfall
over the last several months,
dramatically improving condi-
tions throughout the area.
Current forecasts call for a
return of an El Nino pattern
which could continue to
bring more rainfall to South-
east Texas this winter.
What does this mean for us?
While we have seen a lack of
regular rainfall in recent
weeks, we should start to see
wetter conditions beginning
this fall and lasting through-
out the winter.
Our area has been in the grips of a
multi-year drought since 2009 culmi-
nating with our worst wildfire season
ever in 2011.
During the 2011 fire season, thou-
sands of homes and millions of acres
were lost to wildfire, including 100
homes during the Riley Rd Fire which
burned through Grimes, Montgomery
and Waller Counties beginning Labor
Day in 2011.
While conditions are improving, 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 3 Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office
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
Now is the time to have your
home heating systems ser-
viced and checked out. Don’t
wait until cold weather
strikes.
If predictions hold true, we
could see colder winter tem-
peratures as an El Nino
weather pattern continues to
develop in the Pacific Ocean.
Home heating fires are sec-
ond in number only to cook-
ing fires, but are more deadly
because many occur at night
while residents are sleeping.
Portable space heaters are
responsible for a dispropor-
tionate number of home
heating deaths, totaling approximate-
ly 45% of the home heating fire
deaths each year.
As we change our clocks in the fall,
we want to remind everyone to make
sure your home has working smoke
detectors and your home’s heating
appliances are safe and ready to use.
Having your home’s heating and A/C
system checked annually will help
insure that it is running efficiently
and lowers the risk of fire. If your
heating system is gas powered, it is
essential that it be checked to make
sure that it is burning cleanly and not
producing deadly carbon monoxide
gas. Homes equipped with gas appli-
ances must have at least one carbon
monoxide detector on each floor.
Home Heating Safety
Barns are often huge lumber
yards storing highly flamma-
ble bedding, feeds, and
dusts. The lack of fixed fire
detection and suppression
systems frequently leads to
disasters.
When building a large barn,
the added cost of a fire sprin-
kler system may be a worth-
while consideration. Systems
can be installed in new con-
struction for only a couple of
dollars per sq foot in most
cases depending on how
much water is available.
Fire Sprinklers and Alarms
may be required by modern
safety codes in some larger
new commercial barns .
Other frequent fire causes
are malfunctioning stall fans
and improperly maintained
electrical systems. Always
make sure that you purchase
fans rated for use in a barn
or agricultural setting. Fans
designed for home use
should never be used in a
barn. Failure from dust and
overuse can cause a fire.
Other hazards include im-
proper or unsupervised heat-
ing devices in winter such as
heat lamps, space heaters,
etc.
Always keep any heating
device at least 3 feet away
from anything that will burn.
Heat lamps should be tightly
secured out of the reach of
animals and where they can-
not be knocked into combus-
tible hay or bedding.
Decomposing manure can
sometimes build up heat and
ignite on it’s own. Always
keep your manure pile well
away from your barn .
Fire Prevention in Barns
Fire prevention, for the most
part, consists of the things
we do on a day-to-day basis
to maintain a fire-safe build-
ing. Knowing how fire can
start and spread will help you
to keep an eye out for possi-
ble hazards. Here’s what you
can do to prevent barn fires.
Good Housekeeping.
A broom and a rake are the
two best fire prevention tools
a barn owner can have. Keep-
ing your barn clean might
prevent a tragedy.
Keep doorways and aisle
ways unobstructed
Sweep up loose hay,
straw, wood shavings
Place trash in metal
trash cans with snugly fitting
lids
The No Smoking/No Open
Flame Rule.
The most common source of
heat is an open flame. Post
no smoking signs in the barn
and prohibit any open flame.
Page 4 Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office
Strictly prohibit smoking
and all open flames in your
barn.
Fans and heating devices
should be rated for
continuous agricultural use
and plugged directly into
properly installed and
maintained permanent
electrical wiring.
Never use extension cords
for permanent wiring.
Click here for more info
The MCFMO recommends purchasing
combination Carbon Monoxide/ Gas
Leak detectors that can also detect
flammable gas leaks in your home,
allowing you time to escape before a
build-up of natural gas or LPG can
ignite destroying your home.
MCFMO Fire Scenes
Montgomery - fire sprinkler saves apartments
Magnolia - Firefighters rescue resident from arson
fire in home.
Cut N Shoot — Smoke from malfunctioning A/C
system causes Elementary School evacuation
Fatal Fire in Splendora
MCFMO Fire Scenes
Willis - Home Gas Explosion injures 3
Magnolia - gas leak / fire injures 2 residents FM 2978—Storage Building Fire
Willis—Missing smoke detector batteries in fire
South Montgomery County Arson Fire—1 Arrested
Porter House Fire
MCFMO Fire Scenes
Magnolia—2011 Barn Fire kills 13 horses
MCFMO Personnel participate in Hazmat training
April Sound Condominium Fire
1987 fatal Truck Stop Fire in S. Montgomery Co.
Extension cord connected to space heater catches fire
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 or the local emer-
Don’t be a Turkey in the Kitchen!
MCFMO Investigator Roland
Morgan presents a check from
Battleground Speedway for
$5200 to Captain William “Iron
Bill” Dowling. Roland worked
with several others at both Bat-
tleground and Gator Speedways
to raise approximately $10,000
so far to help purchase a new
wheelchair van for the injured
HFD veteran.
Before joining the MCFMO as a
Fire and Arson Investigator,
Officer Morgan rose through
the ranks at the Houston Fire
Department and was an Investi-
gator with the Houston FD
Arson Division.
Thanks to all those that con-
tributed to this great cause.
MCFMO Newsletter Fall 2014
We’re on the Web!
www.mctx.org/fire
Download these NFPA
safety tips on cooking.
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