Helping Burn Victims Achieve Justice

According to FireSafety.gov, take the following steps to prevent fire, prevent burn injury, and save lives:

• Choose appliances and extension cords that are listed by Underwriters Laboratories or other nationally-recognized testing laboratories.
• Insert plugs fully into sockets.
• Don’t overload extension cords or wall sockets.
• Never force a three-prong cord into a two-slot outlet.
• Use only heavy-duty extension cords for freezers, heaters, and other high-wattage appliances.
• Never run cords under rugs or other items, and don’t trap cords against walls where heat can build up.
• Check appliances and wiring often. Replace worn, old, or damaged appliance cords right away.
• Have an electrician check light switches that are hot, outlets that don’t work, or lights that flicker.
• If an appliance sparks, smokes, overheats, or gives a small shock, throw it away.

Electrical Wiring Fire and Appliance Fire Facts

• A fire caused by faulty electrical systems can destroy a home and everything in it within minutes.
• Each year in the United States, electrical problems cause 67,800 home fires and 485 deaths.
• December is the most dangerous month for electrical fires.
• Common causes of electrical fires are misuse and poor maintenance of appliances, bad wiring, and overloaded circuits and cords.
• Most electrical wiring fires start in the bedroom.
• In urban areas, faulty wiring causes 33% of home fires.
• Homes more than 40 years old are three times more likely than homes 11 to 20 years old to have an electrical fire.

Common sense tips, but sometimes in the hectic pace of life, we overlook the basics.