The introduction of new technology is one of the best aspects about the modern age. However, with any technology, there are typically both pros and the cons. This is especially the case when the item is not used appropriately or is old or damaged. Due to the safety problems with electricity, for example, every year thousands of people are injured or killed when electric items are not used correctly. Electric blankets are a perfect example, since they cause about 5,000 fires every year in the United States. At the beginning of this month of February, 2012, a malfunctioning electric blanket caused a house fire in St. Helens, Oregon. This is only one of several such fires that already occurred since the beginning of the year. In addition to smoke detectors, other measures perhaps can be taken to help reduce the incidence of such fires.
According to an article in The South County Spotlight in Oregon, on January 29, 2012, firefighters were able to contain a house fire in St. Helens that started in a bedroom after an electric blanket malfunctioned. The fire investigators reported that this incident caused $15,000 worth of damage and killed the family cat. Fortunately, no family members were injured or killed. The fire started after 9:00pm and did not spread to other rooms. The homeowner, Jerald Dusek, used a garden hose to put out the blaze. Of course, it would have been much better if Dusek had used a fire extinguisher, since water it is not always the most appropriate way to put out a fire. By the time that the fire department arrived, the firefighters did not have to do too much to extinguish the blaze.
Not only did the homeowner apparently not have a fire extinguisher, he did not have any working smoke detectors either. The home is insured, so Dusek is covered for the $10,000 of
building damage and $5,000 in lost belongings. Typically, insurance policy premium costs are reduced if the homeowner does have working smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. However, insurance companies do not necessarily follow up to see if the items are actually in the house and being used appropriately.
Electric blankets should be Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approved. Proper usage of the blanket should be contained in the instructions. However, these instructions often get thrown out or lost, and the blanket is not used appropriately or it becomes old and damaged and no longer works as it did when first purchased. In the fire noted above, fortunately the homeowner was not hurt or killed. Just a few weeks before this incident, a 90-year-old woman died in a house fire caused by an electric blanket. This is not unusual.
In Great Britain, it is possible for people to bring their electric blanket to fire stations and other locations to test them for safety issues. This is not something that is readily available in the United States. It may also be helpful to have manufacturers put a list of safety bullets on a tag along with a warning sign, which is always attached to the blanket and difficult to remove. Local fire stations as well as the media and the manufacturers, themselves, should have more safety messages for consumers, especially during the colder months. This could also be something that school children are taught as part of home safety. Perhaps such measures would reduce the commonality of using blankets that are old and should be thrown away or using newer ones incorrectly.
References
South County Spotlight (February 1, 2012). Electric blanket causes house fire. Website accessed February 10, 2012, http://www.spotlightnews.net/news/story.php?story_id=132813467413094500
