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Multi-Family Inspections
Our homes are supposed to be the place where we feel the safest, but most people do not realize that four of every five fire deaths (80%) and almost three-quarters (74%) of all reported fire injuries are caused by home structure fires.
Due to the close proximity and dense nature of a multi-family building, tenants of these residences are at an increased risk of the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), more than 100,000 apartment fires occur each year across the U.S., killing over 400 people, causing more than 4,000 injuries, and costing $1.2 billion in property damage annually.
To combat these alarming national statistics, the Everett Fire Department has implemented the Multi-Family Inspection Program with the goal of identifying and removing potential fire safety hazards in multi-family buildings in order to ensure the safety of all residents. Everett Fire Department personnel will inspect all multi-family buildings within the City of Everett on an annual basis.
Any safety concerns found in a private unit should be shared with the manager or owner of the building so it can be addressed in a timely manner.
Lives and property can be saved by being prepared before fire strikes.
Common Home Fire Hazards
In the United States, an average of 471 home structure fires are caused by cooking activities every day. A National Fire Protection Association study found that in the United States during a five-year period of 2012-2016, cooking was the leading cause of home fires (48%), home fire injuries (45%), and the second leading cause of home fire deaths (21%).
Leading factors in home cooking fires: 2012-2016
- Unattended Cooking 32%
- Abandoned or discarded material 11%
- Heat source too close to combustibles 9%
- Misuse of material 8%
- Unintentionally turned on or not turned off 8%
- Failure to clean 7%
The most common materials ignited are grease, oils, and flammable items such as plastic bags and paper products left on or near the stove.
Safety Precautions for Residents
- Don’t use the stove or stovetop if you have been consuming alcohol or are sleepy.
- Do not leave your cooking unattended. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
- If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking.
- Keep anything that can catch fire – oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains, loose-fitting clothing – away from your stovetop.
- Keep your stove and oven clean and free of grease build-up.
- Never use the stove or oven to heat your home.
- Keep children and pets away from the stove while cooking.
If You Have a Small Grease Cooking fire
- Stovetop fire
- Smother the flames by sliding a lid or another pan over the pan.
- Turn off the burner.
- Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
- Do not throw water on the fire!
- Oven fire
- Turn off the heat
- Keep the door closed.
Need Help
- Get out! Close the door behind you to help contain the fire.
- Call 9-1-1
Heaters and other home heating equipment are the leading cause of home fire deaths in the United States. As expected, almost half of home heating equipment fires are reported during the months of December, January, and February.
Fires caused by furniture, bedding, and other materials placed too close to baseboard heaters and portable heaters are the most common types of heating-related residential fires.
Safety Tips
- Keep anything that can burn at least three (3) feet away from heating equipment, such as a furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable heaters.
- Never use your oven for heating.
- Have a qualified professional install heating equipment, water heaters, or central heating equipment according to code and manufacturer’s instructions.
- Maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected annually by a qualified professional.
- Never use an extension cord with a portable heater. Always plug the heater directly into a wall outlet.
- Never allow any items to cover or drape across the heaters.
- Turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
- Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to prevent sparks from flying into the room, and burn only dry, seasoned wood.
- When using a fireplace, allow ashes to cool before disposing in a metal container, which is kept a safe distance from the home.
- Install and maintain carbon monoxide (CO) alarms to avoid the risk of CO poisoning.
- Test smoke alarms at least monthly.
During 2012-2016, an estimated annual average of 18,100 reported home structure fires started by smoking materials, and on average of 590 people are killed annually. One out of four fatal victims of smoking-material fires is not the smoker whose cigarette started the fire (NFPA).
The leading area of origin for home smoking fires in 2012-2016 was an exterior balcony or open porch.
Safety Tips
- If you smoke, smoke outside. Most deaths result from fires that start in living rooms, family rooms and dens, or in bedrooms.
- Keep cigarettes, lighters, matches, and other smoking materials up high, out of the reach of children.
- Never smoke in bed or when feeling drowsy.
- Use a deep, sturdy ashtray. Place ashtrays away from anything that can burn.
- Do not discard cigarettes in vegetation such as mulch, potted plants or landscaping, peat moss, dried grasses, leaves, or other things that could ignite easily.
- Before you throw away butts and ashes make sure they are out, and dousing in water is the best way to do that.
- Never leave charging e-cigarettes unattended.
U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 8,200 home structure fires that were started by candles per year (2012-2016- NFPA). These fires caused an annual average of 80 deaths, 770 injuries, and $264 million in direct property damage.
Roughly one-third (37%) of home candle fires started in bedrooms. These fires caused 30% of the associated deaths and 50% of the associated injuries.
Safety Tips
- Blow out all candles when you leave the room or go to bed.
- Avoid the use of candles in the bedroom and other areas where people may fall asleep.
- Keep candles at least 1 foot away from anything that can burn.
- Never leave a child alone in a room with a burning candle.
- Keep matches and lighters up high and out of children’s reach, in a locked cabinet.
- Use candleholders that are sturdy and won’t tip over easily.
- Light candles carefully. Keep your hair and any loose clothing away from the flame.
- Never use candles if oxygen is used in the home.
- Have flashlights and other battery-powered lights ready to use during a power outage. Never use candles.
On average, in the U.S. there are 10,200 home fires involving grills, which causes an annual average of 10 deaths, and 160 injuries. (2012-2016- NFPA)
Most grill fires occur during the summer months. The leading ignition factors in grill fires are mechanical failure or malfunction, combustibles placed too close to the heat, and cooking left on the grill unattended (USFA 2010).
Safety Tips
- Propane and charcoal BBQ grills should only be used outdoors.
- Grills should be placed away from the home, deck railings, and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.
- Keep children and pets at least three feet away from the grill area.
- Keep your grill clean by removing grease or fat buildup.
- Never leave your grill unattended.
- Always make sure your gas grill lid is open before lighting it.
- For gas grills, make certain the hose connection is tight and check the hoses for leaks. Turn the grill and fuel cylinder off immediately after grilling.
- If you use a starter fluid, use only charcoal starter fluid.
- For charcoal grills, avoid adding lighter fluid after the coals have been lit.
- When you are finished grilling, let the coals completely cool before disposing in a metal container.
U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 45,210 home structure fires each year between 2010 and 2014 that involved some type of electrical failure or malfunction as a factor contributing to ignition. (NFPA)
Call a qualified electrician or your landlord if you have:
- Frequently blowing fuses or tripping circuit breakers
- A tingling feeling when you touch an electrical appliance
- Discolored or warm wall outlets
- A burning or rubber smell coming from an appliance
- Flickering or dimming lights
- Sparks from an outlet
Safety Tips
- Look around your home for hidden electrical hazards.
- Check electrical cords to make sure the wires are not damaged, cracked, or loose. If the cords need to be repaired, take the item to a professional repair shop, hire an electrician or replace with a new item.
- Remove cords from across doorways or under carpets.
- Keep children away from electric cords and outlets.
- Make sure all receptacle outlets and switches have faceplates.
- Light bulbs should have a shade or globe for protection.
- Plug only one heat producing appliance such as toaster, coffee maker, iron or microwave oven in each outlet to prevent wiring from overheating.
- Keep ladders away from overhead power lines, including the electrical service into your home.
In 2010-2014, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 15,970 home fires involving clothes dryers or washing machines each year. These fires resulted in annual losses estimated at 13 deaths, 440 injuries, and $238 million in direct property damage.
The leading cause of home clothes dryer fires is failure to clean them.
Safety Tips
- Do not use the dryer without a lint filter.
- Make sure you clean the lint filter before or after each load of laundry. Remove lint that has collected around the drum.
- Make sure the air exhaust vent pipe is not restricted and the outdoor vent flap will open when the dryer is operating.
- Clean lint out of the vent pipe, or have a dryer lint removal service do so, once a year or more often if you notice that it is taking longer than normal for your clothes to dry.
- Follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions and don’t overload your dryer.
- Keep the area around the dryer clear of things that can burn, like boxes, cleaning supplies, and clothing.
- Turn the dryer off if you leave home or when you go to bed.
- Clothes that have come in contact with flammable substances, like gasoline, paint thinner, or similar solvents should be laid outside to dry, then can be washed and dried as usual.
Additional Safety Information
When you hear a fire alarm or you encounter smoke or fire, take the following steps to ensure your safe evacuation of the building:
- Treat every alarm as a real fire emergency.
- Leave your unit as quickly as possible, closing the front door as you go.
- Pull the fire alarm as you exit, if the fire alarm is not sounding.
- Use the stairs, not the elevators, to evacuate the building.
- Once outside, move away from the building to your designated meeting place.
- Once you have left the building, do not go back for any reason until the fire department has given permission.
Physically Unable to Evacuate
If you are unable to use stairs to evacuate, you have two alternate fire evacuation methods:
- First would be a predetermined area of refuge. A predetermined area of refuge can be a Stair Enclosure Landing or an Elevator Lobby. Speak to your building manager to determine which of these locations would be most appropriate for your building.
- Second would be to remain in your apartment (as long as the fire is not in your individual apartment).
- Keep doors closed to act as a barrier to the smoke.
- Use towels or clothing to block openings.
- Place a signal in the window to call attention to your location.
- If you feel that your life is in jeopardy, call 9-1-1 to report your location.
- If smoke or fire enter your unit, stay low to the floor and put a wet cloth over your mouth or nose.
Make an escape plan
- Pick your family’s meeting place outside of your home where everyone will meet.
- Practice your escape plan with everyone in your family two times each year.
- Always remember if you have a fire, call 9-1-1 and never go back inside a burning building.
Residential buildings, including houses, condominiums, apartments, and residential hotels that have security bars over sleeping room windows are required to have these bars openable over at least one properly sized and located window to give you and your family a way to escape or be rescued in case of a fire.
To meet the need for both security and fire safety, bars on one window of a sleeping room must be replaced or altered to make them openable from the inside of the room. An approved release mechanism on the inside should unlatch the bars without the use of a key, special knowledge, or effort. The window shall fully open and shall not reduce the opening of the window. (IFC 1015.8.1 & ASTM F 2090)
Every resident, including children, should understand and practice how to properly operate locked or barred windows.
Almost 2,500 people die in home fires every year in the United States. Most of these people live in homes that do not have working smoke alarms. Smoke alarms save lives. Keep your family safe by having working smoke alarms in your home.
Washington State Law (RCW 43.44.110) states that smoke detection devices shall be installed inside all dwelling units. Installation of smoke detection devices shall be the responsibility of the owner. Maintenance of smoke detection devices, including the replacement of batteries where required for the proper operation of the smoke detection device, shall be the responsibility of the tenant, who shall maintain the device as specified by the manufacturer. At the time of a vacancy, the owner shall ensure that the smoke detection device is operational prior to the re-occupancy of the dwelling unit.
Test your smoke alarms at least once a month
- Push the test button.
- You should hear a loud noise.
- If you don’t hear the noise, you need a new battery or a new alarm. FIX THIS IMMEDIATELY
- Put a new battery in the alarm every year.
- If your smoke alarms came with a long-life battery, you may not need to change the battery for up to 10 years.
Check the Date - Replace Smoke Alarms every 10 years
- Remove the smoke alarm from the wall or ceiling.
- Look at the back of the alarm for the date of manufacture.
- Smoke alarms should be replaced 10 years from the date of manufacture.
- Put the alarm back on the wall if it is less than 10 years old.
When you hear a smoke alarm, you only have a few minutes to get everyone outside safely
- Tell your family what to do if they hear the smoke alarm.
- Make an escape plan so everyone knows how to get out fast.
- Pick your family’s meeting place outside of your home where everyone will meet.
- Some children and older adults cannot hear the smoke alarm when they are sleeping. Make a plan for how to wake them up.
- Practice your escape plan with everyone in your family two times each year.
- Always remember if you have a fire, call 9-1-1 and never go back inside a burning building.
As of January 1, 2013, Washington State Law (RCW 19.27.530) requires that all existing apartments, condominiums, hotels, motels, and single-family residences have carbon monoxide alarms installed.
Intent—2009 c 313: "The legislature recognizes that carbon monoxide poses a serious threat. According to national statistics from the centers for disease control, carbon monoxide kills more than five hundred people and accounts for an estimated twenty thousand emergency department visits annually. Specifically, Washington State has experienced the dire effects of carbon monoxide poisoning. In the storms that struck Washington in December 2006, it was estimated that over one thousand people in the state were seen at hospital emergency rooms with symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, and eight people reportedly died of carbon monoxide exposure. It is the intent of the legislature to implement policies to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future."
What is carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide, or CO, is a poisonous gas that cannot be seen or smelled and can kill a person within minutes. Carbon monoxide can quickly build up to unsafe levels in enclosed or semi-enclosed areas.
What are some common sources of carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide is produced by incomplete combustion from cars and trucks, small gasoline-powered equipment like weed trimmers and chain saws, boat engines, gas and camp stoves, lanterns, burning charcoal and wood, and gas ranges, ovens, or furnaces. Tobacco smoke is a significant source of carbon monoxide in homes with smokers.
What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?
Common initial symptoms are headache, dizziness, fatigue, weakness, confusion, and nausea. Low-level carbon monoxide poisoning can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are like other illnesses, such as the flu.
The following could be a sign of carbon monoxide poisoning:
- Symptoms go away when you leave your home and come back when you return.
- Everyone in the home has similar symptoms at the same time.
Breathing in high levels of carbon monoxide can cause loss of consciousness and death. People who are sleeping can die from carbon monoxide poisoning before ever knowing they are being exposed to the gas.
What should be done if you suspect someone has carbon monoxide poisoning?
- Immediately go outside to get fresh air. Call 911.
- If someone is unconscious and cannot leave, open windows and doors to bring in fresh air. Turn off the source of carbon monoxide. Go outside for fresh air. Call 911.
- Don't reenter the building until emergency responders have given you permission.
- If the source of the carbon monoxide is a malfunctioning appliance, don't use that appliance until it has been fixed by a trained professional.
Should I install a carbon monoxide alarm?
Yes, these detectors are similar to smoke alarms and can warn you when carbon monoxide levels become unsafe. If the alarm goes off, evacuate the building and call 911.
When I get my carbon monoxide alarm, where should I install it?
Carbon monoxide alarms come in different sensitivity ratings and shall be installed as per the manufacturer’s instructions that come with the device.
How do I maintain a carbon monoxide alarm?
Follow the carbon monoxide detector instructions for routine maintenance, including regular replacement of batteries. If the carbon monoxide detector is wired to the electrical supply, make sure it has back-up batteries for when the electricity is off.
How can I prevent carbon monoxide poisoning from my home appliances?
- Have oil and gas appliances and fireplaces, as well as wood stoves, checked every year by a trained professional.
- Make sure chimneys and flues are routinely checked and cleaned. Never burn anything in a stove or fireplace that isn't vented.
- For open fireplaces, don't let them burn or smolder overnight. Without enough heat in the fireplace, a downdraft can push smoke and carbon monoxide into the home.
- Don't use unvented fueled heaters.
- If you suspect a gas leak, leave your home immediately, call 911, and contact your gas company. Don't go back into the home until the problem has been resolved.
For more information on Carbon Monoxide poisoning, visit Snohomish County Public Health. Or call the Washington Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222.
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William Armstrong
Assistant Fire MarshalPhone: 425-257-8126
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Fire Marshal
Physical Address
2801 Oakes Ave
Everett, WA 98201
Phone: 425-257-8120Fax: 425-257-8139Emergency Phone: 911