Fire Safety Week: Concerns over more devices being used at home
(SOURCE: KITV)
Eighty FIVE percent of deaths caused by fires in Hawaii happen in a residential structure according to the latest data from the U.S. Fire Administration.
Some experts believe the COVID-19 pandemic is creating an environment that makes the risk even greater.
One of the concerns is with more people working from home and doing distance learning especially families might have multiple devices plugged into the same outlet that could overload the circuit and potentially cause a fire.
KITV spoke with Richie Aqui from Hero Fire Protection and says he’s worried people’s knowledge of fire safety might not be up to date during these uncertain times
One of his jobs includes inspecting people’s home to see if there safe.
He says he often meets people who don’t realize the hazards they have.
“People out there think it’s never going to happen to them. It’s always going to happen to someone far off–away from their home-that kind of thinking is what gets people in trouble. But it happens to everyday people like you and I. People think they are prepared. They think just because they went through a fire drill at work or school, that they have all the knowledge about a fire. “
To reduce the risk– The National Fire Projection Association urges people to always charge their device on a hard surface that’s not flammable and avoid plugging multiple power strips into the same outlet.
The Association recommends to use an extension cord for only one device and unplug it when not in use.
