This year’s National Fire

Prevention theme focuses

on the importance of hav-

ing working smoke detec-

tors in your home.

In addition, the holiday

season is a peak time for

cooking fires.

The top three days for

kitchen fires in order are

Thanksgiving, Christmas

Day and Christmas Eve.

For more information on

cooking fires and how to

keep your home safe,

check out our Fire Preven-

tion section on page 2

The Montgomery County

Fire Marshal’s Office was

established by Commis-

sioner’s Court in 1969.

The MCFMO’s primary

responsibilities are the

investigation of the cause

and origin of fires and

explosions, as well as fire

prevention and code en-

forcement in unincorpo-

rated Montgomery County.

The MCFMO routinely as-

sists other Fire and Police

agencies throughout the

area, including several

local municipalities.

Please feel free to share

this newsletter with your

friends and neighbors.

Each year, thousands of

Americans are killed in

home fires and many times

that are injured or left

homeless after a fire.

While there is never a

good time to have a fire,

the risk of fires increase

during the winter, especial-

ly during the holidays.

Cooler temperatures, cook-

ing, and holiday traditions

all increase the risk of fire

in the home.

This newsletter contains

valuable tips on how to

prevent a fire in your

home, and if a fire were to

occur, how to protect your

family from harm.

For more information

Find us here on Facebook!

Our Role in the Community

Become a Firefighter!

Interested in serving your

community? Want to learn

new skills or explore new

careers?

While most County Fire

Departments now have

career staff, many still rely

on Volunteer Firefighters

as well.

Consider joining your local

Fire Department.

You can make a difference

as a Volunteer Firefighter

serving Montgomery

County.

To find out more, contact

your local fire station.

All training and equipment

is provided for you by your

Fire Department. Your

only commitment is your

time and desire to serve.

We’ve moved! MCFMO Fire Inspectors are now located on the first

floor of the County Administration Building near downtown Conroe.

Our new address is 501 N. Thompson, Suite 102, Conroe, Tx 77301

Montgomery County Fire

Marshal’s Office

Inside this

issue:

Fire Prevention

Week

2

Get Cooking with

Fire Safety

2

Smoke Detectors;

Are you prepared?

2

Is our Drought

over for SE Texas?

3

Home Heating

Safety

4

Fire Prevention in

Barns

4

MCFMO in Action 5

Don’t be a Turkey! 8

Fall 2014 Montgomery County Fire

Special points of

interest:

Fire Prevention Week

Cooking Fires # 1

Status of Drought

Home Heating Safety

Barn Fire Prevention

The Great Chicago Fire was

a conflagration that burned

from Sunday, October 8, to

early Tuesday, October 10,

1871, killing hundreds and

destroying about 3.3 square

miles in the City of Chicago.

The fire consumed 17,500

buildings leaving 1/3 of the

population homeless and

estimates place the loss of

life at 300 or more.

Though the fire was one of

the largest U.S. disasters of

the 19th century, Chicago

was rebuilt and continued to

grow as one of the most pop-

ulous and economically im-

portant American cities.

On the same day as the Great

Chicago Fire, a much larger

forest fire raged through

Wisconsin and Michigan.

Whipped up by a freak

cyclonic cold front, The

Great Peshtigo Fire con-

sumed 1.2 million acres of

forest and 12 communities

were destroyed.

Although overshadowed by

the Chicago fire, the Great

Peshtigo Fire was the worst

recorded forest fire in history

and the deadliest fire ever

seen in the United States.

Estimates place the numbers

of dead as high as 2400, with

many victims never found.

On the 40th anniversary of

the Great Chicago Fire, the

International Fire Marshal’s

Association declared that the

anniversary should be ob-

served in a way that would

keep the public informed

about the importance of fire

prevention. The commemora-

tion grew incrementally over

the years up to World War I.

In 1920, President Woodrow

Wilson issued a proclamation

for an annual Fire Safety Day,

and since 1922 Fire Preven-

tion Week has been observed

on the Sunday through Satur-

day period in which October 9

falls.

Each year 3000 lives are lost

in fire in the U.S. with 85% of

those deaths occurring in

home fires.

When smoke alarms fail to

operate, it is usually because

batteries are missing, discon-

nected or dead. Almost one-

quarter of the smoke alarm

failures were due to dead

batteries.

Will you or your family be-

come a part of this national

tragedy? Take action today!

Recent surveys indicate that

over 90% of all homes in

America have at least one

smoke detector, so why

aren't the number of deaths

decreasing each year?

Those same surveys reveal a

troubling statistic. As many

as 1/3 of those smoke detec-

tors will never function due

to missing or dead batteries.

Having a working smoke de-

tector in your home cuts your

chance of dying in half.

Recent advances in smoke

detector technology include

the use of long life lithium

batteries that can last as long

as 10 years. Many of these

long life smoke alarms are

tamper resistant and de-

signed to be disposable after

their 10 year life expectancy.

These types of detectors cost

a little more initially but they

can save money in the long

run as you never have to re-

place the batteries.

Fire in America - How Fire Prevention Week came to be

Smoke Detectors— Are You Prepared?

January normally the deadli-

est time of year .

According to the NFPA, cook-

ing is the leading cause of

fire in the home. Two of eve-

ry five home fires began in

the kitchen, more than any

other place in the home.

Cooking fires are also the

leading cause of fire-related

injuries. Non-fatal home

cooking fires accounted for

57 percent of reported inju-

ries where victims tried to

fight the fire themselves.

The following precautions can

keep your home safe from

kitchen fires:

Stay in the kitchen when you

are frying, grilling, broiling,

or boiling food.

Keep children and pets at

least three feet away from

the stove.

Keep pot holders, paper

towels, and anything that

can burn away from your

stove top.

Clean up food and grease

from burners and stove tops.

Prevent Kitchen Fires – Get Cooking With Fire Safety

All during the month of Octo-

ber, Firefighters and the Na-

tional Fire Protection Associa-

tion (NFPA) promote fire safe-

ty throughout the nation.

Fire safety is especially im-

portant at this time of year as

we approach the peak

months for home fires.

The number of home fires

nationally rises throughout

the winter months, mostly

due to home heating and

holiday cooking fires, with

November, December and

Page 2 Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office

Great Chicago Fire

October 8th, 1871

“Cooking is the

number one cause of

fire and injury in the

United States today.

Cooking fires account

for over 1/2 of all

reported injuries in

home fires.”

Montgomery County and

most of SE Texas has been

blessed with sporadic rainfall

over the last several months,

dramatically improving condi-

tions throughout the area.

Current forecasts call for a

return of an El Nino pattern

which could continue to

bring more rainfall to South-

east Texas this winter.

What does this mean for us?

While we have seen a lack of

regular rainfall in recent

weeks, we should start to see

wetter conditions beginning

this fall and lasting through-

out the winter.

Our area has been in the grips of a

multi-year drought since 2009 culmi-

nating with our worst wildfire season

ever in 2011.

During the 2011 fire season, thou-

sands of homes and millions of acres

were lost to wildfire, including 100

homes during the Riley Rd Fire which

burned through Grimes, Montgomery

and Waller Counties beginning Labor

Day in 2011.

While conditions are improving, you

should always look for ways to im-

prove your home’s wildfire defenses.

For more info check out the Texas

Forest Service website.

http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/

main/default.aspx

The Drought is over! OR IS IT?

6) Consider fire-resistant

material for patio furniture,

swing sets, etc.

7) Firewood stacks and pro-

pane tanks should not be

located in this zone.

8) Water plants, trees and

mulch regularly.

9) Consider xeriscaping if

you are affected by water-use

restrictions.

Zone 2 (Moderate and High

Hazard Areas) Plants in this

zone should be low-growing,

well irrigated, and less flam-

mable.

1) Leave 30 feet between

clusters of two to three trees,

or 20 feet between individual

trees.

2) Encourage a mixture of

deciduous and coniferous

trees.

3) Create ‘fuel breaks’, like

driveways & gravel walkways.

4) Prune trees up six to ten

feet from the ground.

Zone 3 (High Hazard Areas)

Thin this area, although less

space is required than in

Zone 2.

Remove smaller conifers that

are growing between taller

trees. Remove heavy accumu-

lation of woody debris.

Reduce the density of tall

trees so canopies are not

touching.

Firewise Landscaping and Construction

Use the Zone Concept.

Zone 1— All Hazard Areas

This well-irrigated area encir-

cles the structure and all its

attachments—(wood decks,

fences, and boardwalks) for

at least 30 feet on all sides.

1) Plants should be carefully

spaced, low-growing and free

of resins, oils and waxes that

readily burn

2) Mow regularly & prune

lower limbs from trees

3) Space conifer trees 30 feet

between crowns. Trim back

trees that overhang the

house.

4) Create a ‘fire-free’ area

within five feet of the home,

using non-flammable land-

scaping materials and/or

high-moisture-content annu-

als and perennials.

5) Remove dead vegetation

from under deck and within

10 feet of house.

Page 3 Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office

The primary goal for

Firewise landscaping is

fuel reduction — limiting

the amount of

flammable vegetation

and materials around

the home.

Click here for more info

Now is the time to have your

home heating systems ser-

viced and checked out. Don’t

wait until cold weather

strikes.

If predictions hold true, we

could see colder winter tem-

peratures as an El Nino

weather pattern continues to

develop in the Pacific Ocean.

Home heating fires are sec-

ond in number only to cook-

ing fires, but are more deadly

because many occur at night

while residents are sleeping.

Portable space heaters are

responsible for a dispropor-

tionate number of home

heating deaths, totaling approximate-

ly 45% of the home heating fire

deaths each year.

As we change our clocks in the fall,

we want to remind everyone to make

sure your home has working smoke

detectors and your home’s heating

appliances are safe and ready to use.

Having your home’s heating and A/C

system checked annually will help

insure that it is running efficiently

and lowers the risk of fire. If your

heating system is gas powered, it is

essential that it be checked to make

sure that it is burning cleanly and not

producing deadly carbon monoxide

gas. Homes equipped with gas appli-

ances must have at least one carbon

monoxide detector on each floor.

Home Heating Safety

Barns are often huge lumber

yards storing highly flamma-

ble bedding, feeds, and

dusts. The lack of fixed fire

detection and suppression

systems frequently leads to

disasters.

When building a large barn,

the added cost of a fire sprin-

kler system may be a worth-

while consideration. Systems

can be installed in new con-

struction for only a couple of

dollars per sq foot in most

cases depending on how

much water is available.

Fire Sprinklers and Alarms

may be required by modern

safety codes in some larger

new commercial barns .

Other frequent fire causes

are malfunctioning stall fans

and improperly maintained

electrical systems. Always

make sure that you purchase

fans rated for use in a barn

or agricultural setting. Fans

designed for home use

should never be used in a

barn. Failure from dust and

overuse can cause a fire.

Other hazards include im-

proper or unsupervised heat-

ing devices in winter such as

heat lamps, space heaters,

etc.

Always keep any heating

device at least 3 feet away

from anything that will burn.

Heat lamps should be tightly

secured out of the reach of

animals and where they can-

not be knocked into combus-

tible hay or bedding.

Decomposing manure can

sometimes build up heat and

ignite on it’s own. Always

keep your manure pile well

away from your barn .

Fire Prevention in Barns

Fire prevention, for the most

part, consists of the things

we do on a day-to-day basis

to maintain a fire-safe build-

ing. Knowing how fire can

start and spread will help you

to keep an eye out for possi-

ble hazards. Here’s what you

can do to prevent barn fires.

Good Housekeeping.

A broom and a rake are the

two best fire prevention tools

a barn owner can have. Keep-

ing your barn clean might

prevent a tragedy.

Keep doorways and aisle

ways unobstructed

Sweep up loose hay,

straw, wood shavings

Place trash in metal

trash cans with snugly fitting

lids

The No Smoking/No Open

Flame Rule.

The most common source of

heat is an open flame. Post

no smoking signs in the barn

and prohibit any open flame.

Page 4 Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office

Strictly prohibit smoking

and all open flames in your

barn.

Fans and heating devices

should be rated for

continuous agricultural use

and plugged directly into

properly installed and

maintained permanent

electrical wiring.

Never use extension cords

for permanent wiring.

Click here for more info

The MCFMO recommends purchasing

combination Carbon Monoxide/ Gas

Leak detectors that can also detect

flammable gas leaks in your home,

allowing you time to escape before a

build-up of natural gas or LPG can

ignite destroying your home.

MCFMO Fire Scenes

Montgomery - fire sprinkler saves apartments

Magnolia - Firefighters rescue resident from arson

fire in home.

Cut N Shoot — Smoke from malfunctioning A/C

system causes Elementary School evacuation

Fatal Fire in Splendora

MCFMO Fire Scenes

Willis - Home Gas Explosion injures 3

Magnolia - gas leak / fire injures 2 residents FM 2978—Storage Building Fire

Willis—Missing smoke detector batteries in fire

South Montgomery County Arson Fire—1 Arrested

Porter House Fire

MCFMO Fire Scenes

Magnolia—2011 Barn Fire kills 13 horses

MCFMO Personnel participate in Hazmat training

April Sound Condominium Fire

1987 fatal Truck Stop Fire in S. Montgomery Co.

Extension cord connected to space heater catches fire

The leading cause of fires in the kitch-

en is unattended cooking. It’s im-

portant to always be alert to prevent

cooking fires.

If you are sleepy or have consumed

alcohol don’t use the stove or stov-

etop.

Stay in the kitchen while you are fry-

ing, grilling, or broiling food. If you

leave the kitchen for even a short peri-

od of time, turn off the stove.

If you are simmering, baking, roast-

ing, or boiling 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 — away

from your stovetop.

Thanksgiving day is the #1 day for

home cooking fires in America,

followed closely by Christmas Day

and Christmas Eve.

While cooking fires are the most

common cause of home fires year

round, they are especially prevalent

during the holidays.

Increased cooking activity, distrac-

tions and alternative cooking appli-

ances are all factors in this increase

If you have a cooking fire

Just get out! When you leave,

close the door behind you to

help contain the fire.

Call 9-1-1 or the local emer-

Don’t be a Turkey in the Kitchen!

MCFMO Investigator Roland

Morgan presents a check from

Battleground Speedway for

$5200 to Captain William “Iron

Bill” Dowling. Roland worked

with several others at both Bat-

tleground and Gator Speedways

to raise approximately $10,000

so far to help purchase a new

wheelchair van for the injured

HFD veteran.

Before joining the MCFMO as a

Fire and Arson Investigator,

Officer Morgan rose through

the ranks at the Houston Fire

Department and was an Investi-

gator with the Houston FD

Arson Division.

Thanks to all those that con-

tributed to this great cause.

MCFMO Newsletter Fall 2014

We’re on the Web!

www.mctx.org/fire

Download these NFPA

safety tips on cooking.