Home is often the place where we feel safest, but it is also the place where most smoking-related structure fires, deaths, and injuries occur. One fifth of reported fire fatalities in Washington last year were caused by smoking materials. The good news is that smoking-material fires are preventable by using the following tips:
- If you smoke, ensure the cigarettes are compliant with Washington State’s Fire Safe Cigarette (FSC) Law that went into effect in 2009. Compliant cigarettes have a label marked FSC on the packaging near the barcode.
- To prevent a cigarette fire, you must be alert. Do not smoke if you are tired, have taken medicine that makes you drowsy, or if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- Smoke outside of your home. Most smoking-related fires start in living rooms, family rooms, or bedrooms.
- Never smoke in bed. Mattresses and bedding can ignite quickly.
- If possible, put out your cigarette in a deep, sturdy ashtray. If ashtrays are not available, use a metal can or pail. Never empty smoking material directly into a trash can. Place ashtrays or metal cans away from anything that can burn.
- Do not discard cigarettes in vegetation such as mulch/bark, potted plants, peat moss, dried grasses, leaves or other things that could ignite easily.
- Do not smoke where medical oxygen is used. Medical oxygen can cause materials to ignite more easily and make fires burn at a faster rate than normal.
The above is a release from the WA State Fire Marshal’s office. The Auburn Examiner has not independently verified its contents.
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