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Fire officials push safety
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Fire officials asked the media Thursday to help spread the message about fire safety now that the winter-heating season is here.
Representatives of the State Fire Marshal’s office along with the American Red Cross and the Area Agency on Aging all said during a news conference at the city’s main fire station downtown that help is available for people who need smoke detectors or help with heating so they do not have to rely on space heaters or other means of heating their homes that often lead to fires.
Frank Conway, State Fire Marshal prevention chief, said January and February traditionally are the months that see the most fire fatalities in the state. Last year, Conway said, 26 people died in fires in January. Overall in 2015, 122 people were killed in fires in the state, he added.
Conway urged people who struggle with their heating bills to see if they qualify for the Winter Crisis Program, which is part of the Home Energy Assistance Program, or HEAP.
He said it is crucial because many fires that occur during the cold-weather months start because of space heaters or other sources of heating that are used the wrong way or malfunction.
“We don’t want anyone relying on just alternate heating sources for their homes,” Conway said.
Conway also pushed the use of smoke detectors, saying that the earlier someone knows there is a fire, the easier it is to get out and wait for help instead of being trapped.
Tim O’Toole, disaster-program officer for the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the American Red Cross, said about 90 percent of the disasters the Red Cross responds to are fire-related. He said the ARC’s goal this year is to reduce fire deaths by 25 percent in Ohio, and the Red Cross has a program to help people who need a smoke detector get one and get it installed.
“The single biggest thing is having a working smoke detector in the home,” O’Toole said.
Youngstown Fire Chief John O’Neill said smoke detectors could have made the difference in a lot of fatal fires he has seen over the years.
“Many of the victims wouldn’t have been victims if they would’ve had smoke detectors in their homes,” O’Neill said.
The chief said the most-common fire problems in the city are alternate heating sources, unattended cooking and oxygen tanks placed in front of something that could spark a blaze.
Lisa Solley of the Area Agency on Aging 11 said older residents especially need help with getting HEAP or smoke detectors.
She said far too often they do not know programs exist to help, are too proud or stubborn to ask for help, or they have tight finances. She urged anyone who knows an elderly person who needs help to contact her agency.
In 2015, Youngstown had four fire deaths, three in a March 30 arson and a man who died Dec. 15 in his West LaClede Avenue home. A cause in that fire is still pending, but foul play is not suspected.