Most every year for Christmas I give someone in my family a gift of a fire extinguisher and a smoke alarm. You can not have too many alarms! One is not enough. So if you have a hard to buy for person on your list, you might consider this gift. This would be especially good for young people moving out on their own for the first itme. They probably won't think of it themselves.

From my insurance company, I received a brochure with some good information. About 23,000 people a year are injured in fires, almost 17,000 of these occur at home. There are many types of extinguishers.

Class A- wood and paper fires

Class B- flammable liquid and grease

Class C- electrical fires

Class K- specifically designed for restaurant grease fires

Multi-Class designed to fight more than one type of fire

It is a good idea to keep one in your vehicle, kitchen, garage, workshop, even in your bedroom, where you can grab it quickly in the night. Again one probably isn't enough. Try to practice with one before-hand so you will know what to do, and teach your older children (teen-age and above) what to do as well.

Be SAFE and have a Happy Holiday!

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), November 27, 2001

Answers

This is a great idea! I have been struggling to think of something to take to my in-law's "dirty Christmas" party this year. They want us to spend $25-$30. Now I know what to take! I should have thought of it myself as we make sure we have these things ourselves. Over 3 years ago we came home from lunch after church to find our house on fire. They did save it but it was so damaged we couldn't live in it. We spent over 4 months in an apartment in town. Just about killed me! When we moved back in we made sure we had several fire extinguishers and two days after we moved in we went and bought 6 fire alarms (didn't get them put up though). The very next day I started smelling something burning. It took us awhile, but finally found it. The floor under the hot water heater had caught on fire! Fortunately we had our fire extinguishers and were able to keep it under control until the fire dept. could get here. Needless to say, we now make sure we have fire alarms in every room and plenty of fire extinguishers.

-- Deena in GA (dsmj55@aol.com), November 27, 2001.

Thanks for that reminder, Melissa- my husbands family lost thier home to fire a couple of years before we married. As a result, when we built our house, we had smoke detectors hard-wired into EACH bedroom and hallway (with battery back-ups in case of power outage. I have an extiguisher in the laundry room, and husbands work shop, plu one in the kitchen, plus a box of open baking soda for small cooking fires. Theres an extinguisher in each car. Our water pump is on a completely different electric feed than the house, with an external spicot/hose. In addition, we don't keep any large flamible containers in the house-like keroscene or gas cans, and we are very careful about not having stacks of newspapers, cardboard or piles of rags about. We do have a volenteer Fire dept, but we are so far away, that in case of fire, we're pretty much on our own.

-- Kelly in Ky (Ksaderholm@yahoo.com), November 27, 2001.

This is a great gift idea! Just this past summer I went to a bridal shower and the bride-to-be received an extinguisher, smoke alarm and a carbon monoxide detector. Some people thought it was an odd gift, but that's what a bridal shower is for-practical household items that will be needed.

Also, they make small extinguishers that are good to keep in your car or truck.

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), November 27, 2001.

This is a great idea for that hard to get for person. I've used it several times myself. Along the same lines, The extinguishers lose pressure after time. How can you get them repressurized,, or I should say where? We have several that need to be repressurized.

-- Barb in Ky. (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), November 27, 2001.

I know our fire departments in the surrounding towns will give you free smoke detectors if you ask. When we moved in June I asked and all I had to do was fill out a paper and they even sent someone to make sure they were up. Great if you ask me. Ask your local or rural fire department, it couldn't hurt.

-- Micheale from SE Kansas (mbfrye@totelcsi.net), November 27, 2001.

Kelly,

I have never before considered the fact that if our electricity wasn't working due to a fire that we wouldn't be able to use water hoses - our well pump wouldn't work. I should have thought of this before. Thanks for mentioning it.

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), November 27, 2001.