Gadgets Help to Assure Fire Safety

October is Fire Safety Month, so now's a good time to remember to quit putting off what you should do to prevent, or deal with, a fire.

Fire is a particular safety concern for people over 65. Their risk of injury or death from fire is three times higher than that of younger people, according to the Ohio fire marshal. Children are also at special risk.

The Cleveland Fire Department offers help planning for fire emergencies. Call Jonathan Parries, public relations officer, 664-6387, to order free leaflets: Escaping Home Fires, Home Fire Escape Drill, Smoke Detectors and Fire Safety - A Guide for Older Folks, and Home Fire Safety Check List.

The leaflets recommend owning escape ladders, smoke detectors, and extinguishers - and explain what to do with them.

Portable steel escape ladders are available locally at Darling Fire & Safety Co., 13404 St Clair Ave. American-LaFrance Life Ladders have link sides, tubular steps with a U-shaped projection to hold ladder out from house, and hook-shaped brackets that fit over the sill. Each can hold 1,000 pounds, but only one person should use it at a time.

Firm owner Alan Darling said metal ladders conduct heat and electricity, but rope ladders burn and decay. Concerning balance, he thinks a metal ladder is a better choice. The 15-foot, 15-pound second-floor steel ladder costs $38; the 25-foot, 23-pound third-floor ladder, $56.

Most importantly, after buying any ladder, is to choose an escape route that isn't above electrical wires or past a window that might spurt flame, said both Darling and Parries. The ladder should hang straight down, unimpeded.

We learned another helpful fact during our home trial. When a 4-year-old climbed down the ladder, the indoor ends of the sill brackets jerked inward with enough force to punch two holes in the room's drywall. Though not a concern during a fire, this would be annoying during a drill. Place a board between the bracket ends and the wall to avoid this.

An aluminum M&G Products Fire Escape Ladder is similarly designed, but is much lighter. The 2-story version (no. 3920) weighs only 8 pounds. Cost: $35 plus 5 3/4% Ohio sales tax and $4.80 shipping.

Order from Your Family Safety Store, P.O. Box 02282, Columbus, O. 43202 or call 1-800-783-7233.

Darling, in the protective equipment business for 36 years, also recommended a 10-pound ABC-class fire extinguisher for home use. The A indicates effectiveness against wood and paper; B, liquids and grease; and C, electrical equipment. An Underwriters Laboratories rating pairs the letters with numbers that indicate the square footage of each type of fire that can be controlled.

Fire extinguishers should be located in kitchen, den or living room, and near the furnace, said Darling.

If you can afford it, buy a rechargeable extinguisher, indicated by metal handles, he suggested. He carries the Badger Fire Extinguisher. Its 10-pound, ABC dry-chemical model (no. 10MB-3H) discharges for 18 seconds at a range of 16 to 20 feet. The UL rating is 4A-60B:C, indicating it will put out four square feet of wood or paper fires and 60 square feet of the others. Cost is $56.30.

Darling's firm recharges extinguishers for $15. This should be done at least every six years, or if the seal is broken. After 12 years, the extinguisher must be leak-tested or replaced. Recharging is mandated annually for apartment and business extinguishers.

Smoke detectors should be located outside each bedroom and on each floor, according to the Cleveland fire department.

Black & Decker has just fielded Slimline Smoke Alarms, designed to be inconspicuous and always operable. At any one time, one-third of smoke alarms are thought to contain dead batteries or none, according to Carol Hubregson, a company marketing manager.

To avoid those situations, this unit begins beeping 30 days before the battery warranty expires, and, if batteries are removed, a pop-up flag prevents the alarm from attaching to its mounting bracket.

The SMK400 Slimline Smoke Alarm sounds a piercing alarm and has an emergency light that can be mounted separately, low on the wall, and removed from its bracket to light an escape route. Cost is $23.98. Three cheaper models also are available.

Protecting valuables from fire requires a well-insulated safe or chest.

Safe sales have been increasing, said Mark Brajdich, of Cleveland Safe Co., at 1636 St. Clair Ave. Customers say safety deposit boxes are too small to hold sterling silver flatware or video cameras or aren't available when they want to remove an item, he said. And at home, fire protection is a major concern.

Chunky, American-made Gardall Safe Co. safes - with thick insulated walls, combination locks, mottled gray exteriors, and lifetime warranties - are popular, said Brajdich. They will withstand temperatures of 1,700 degrees for an hour. (Parries said the ceiling, hottest spot in a home fire, seldom gets hotter than 1,200 degrees.)

Two sizes sell well. No. 1511 has an inner capacity of slightly over one cubic foot, weighs 210 pounds and costs $359. No. 1812 is about half again as large inside, weighs 235 pounds and costs $413.

Other styles of safes, more likely to deter burglars, can be sunk in the ground and covered with carpet, fitted into a wall (popular with police who lock up guns at home), or placed behind pictures.

A cheaper portable chest can provide fire protection for important papers.

The Sentry Fire-Safe Security Chest is made of insulated polymer, locks with a key, and has a carrying handle. It withstands temperatures of 1,550 degrees for 30 minutes. Chest is replaced if fire-damaged within 3 years. Model 1150 is 11 3/4-by-7 3/4-by-5 3/4 inches inside; at Office Max it costs $29.99.

No Burn Fire Retardant can be sprayed on furniture, fabric, paper, leather, even Christmas trees, to slow down ignition. Fumes from burning synthetic fabrics often fell people, said Parries.

The product is a non-toxic inorganic salt solution. The distributor claims that it won't harm or irritate people, pets, or any treated material. It is colorless, odorless, non-staining, and biodegradable and was tested by Underwriters Laboratories. The unsprayed half of a paper towel burned completely, the treated half not at all.

One 16-ounce spray container will cover up to 300 square feet. Cost is $16.45 ppd. from Imperial Marketing Co., 1224 Brunswick Ave., Far Rockaway, N.Y. 11691.

Two Phoenix, Ariz. firemen took a playful approach to teaching children about fire prevention. They designed The Fire Smart Kids, a colorful board game that shows kids, preschool age and up, how to avoid fire hazards and take appropriate action if there is a fire. It's not scary, said co-designer Ollie Hoelzer.

Dice and informational cards move players; first one to the "family meeting place" wins. From now through October the game costs $16.99 plus $3.75 shipping (after October, the regular price will be $19.95 plus shipping). Order from Smart Kids, Inc., P.O. Box 10037, Phoenix, Ariz. 85064.

Useful and Unusual looks at innovative, functional, and sometimes funny products every other week in the Monday Arts and Living section. To have an item considered for publication, send a description or sample, with retail price, distribution information and name and phone number, to "Useful and Unusual," The Plain Dealer, 1801 Superior Ave., Cleveland, O. 44114. Products are tested whenever possible.

Photo caption: Thick-walled fire-resistant safes are bulky. Outside, this one from Cleveland Safe Co. measures 25-by-17 1/2-by-20 1/2 inches. Interior, as indicated by money box, is 17 1/2 inches high, one foot wide and one foot deep. Cost: $413.