Protecting Seniors: Fire Safety Tips for Older Adults

With a pummeling late summer heat wave upon us, the State Fire Marshal's Office is warning older Washingtonians to tread carefully.

According to the USFA, adults 65 and older are more than twice as likely as the general population to succumb to fire-related injuries. Over a third of Washington fire fatalities last year were people over 60. To make matters worse, the fire death rate for this group has increased precipitously.

Get our free mobile app

Many, if not most, of these fires were preventable (as is too often the case). The SFMO is urging seniors to:

• Install smoke alarms on "every level of the house"; this includes bedrooms and "outside sleeping areas"
• Install carbon dioxide detectors in these same areas
• Conduct monthly tests of said alarms and detectors
• Keep visual, hearing and mobility aids close at hand; these should be at the bedside of a sleeping senior
• Hatch out a fire escape plan (at least two exits)
• Conduct practice drills with other members of the household
• Declutter exit pathways; remove any obstacles to a quick escape
• Make sure that exits are wheelchair- or walker-accessible, if the senior is wheelchair- or walker-dependent
• Never stray from the kitchen while cooking; be vigilant about setting timers and checking food at routine intervals; keep flammable items (towels, potholders) away from a simmering stove
• Smoke outdoors; avoid shallow and flimsy ceramic ashtrays; be sure that cigarettes are "fully extinguished" before disposing of them
• Enlist a caregiver or more able-bodied family member if further assistance is needed

Any questions not addressed here should be directed to 360-596-3904.