LEWISBURG – The William Cameron Engine Company wants to spread awareness about house fire prevention in consideration of recent tragedies in New York and Philadelphia. During the winter season we often turn to space heaters to combat the cold. Captain Harold Erdley Jr. says though we don’t know what happened in the New York fire, we do know that the cause was isolated to a space heater.
Captain Erdley wants to remind the community about common safety issues and ways to prevent hazards. If you use a small portable heater, “Give it some space. Typically, they recommend three feet on all sides so that we’re not close to draperies. The other issue is if it’s an electric one in particular you shouldn’t have it plugged in to and extension cord or a power strip or anything like that.”
Captain Erdley also wants to remind the community not to leave lit candles unattended, “If you leave the room for whatever reason, blow out the candle, and re-light it when you come back. That way there’s something there to witness if something goes wrong.”
In addition to having working smoke detectors on each floor, Captain Erdley strongly suggests each household have a fire escape plan, “One of the biggest things is to have a plan. What if the primary route that you would use to leave your home is blocked, is there another option? To have that at home, whether you have a plan to go out a window…if you live on an upper floor, a roll out ladder that you can descend.”
