MOUNT VERNON — The dramatic increase in fatal mobile home fires in Ohio this year has caught the attention of fire officials at the local and state levels.
After a steady decrease in such deaths over the past 10 years, the trend has unfortunately reversed this year. After a total of six deaths in 441 mobile home fires in 2007, so far in 2008 that death toll has more than doubled to 13. This number is likely to increase before the end of the year as the cold weather is often a dangerous time for these fires.
Because there are approximately 1,100 mobile homes in Knox County according to the Knox County Auditor’s Office, the growing rate of mobile home fires and fire deaths across the state are of concern to local fire departments. According to the National Fire Protection Association, residents of mobile homes are twice as likely to die in fires as others.
In Knox County, the last fire fatalities were in February 2007, when an elderly couple died in a mobile home fire on Stump Street in Clinton Township, just north of Mount Vernon.
Mobile home residents can face special challenges in regard to fire safety due to the nature of the construction materials used in building manufactured homes, the narrow hallways, limited exits, close proximity to other structures, and sometimes cramped living conditions.
State Fire Marshal Michael P. Bell said these conditions require special fire prevention diligence among mobile home residents. “We encourage every citizen to be vigilant when it comes to fire safety, but this is even more important for those who live in mobile homes,” Bell said this week.
Mount Vernon Assistant Chief Chris Menapace said his department stresses fires safety, especially the critical importance of working smoke detectors to those living in mobile homes because of how quickly the fires spread in trailers due to the construction materials and close quarters.
“The reason that I feel it’s vital in affecting the chance of survival in trailer fires is because the rate of combustion in a trailer is so accelerated,” Menapace explained. “Early detection is so important in these fires.”
Eastern Knox County Joint Fire District Chief Larry Stimpert said mobile home fires are some of the fastest moving and most dangerous fires he has seen over his firefighting career.
“It’s a rapid spreading fire,” he said of mobile home fires. Stimpert recalled a trailer fire three and a half blocks from the Walnut Street fire station in Danville which injured several people before the fire department arrived. “It was already fully involved when we got there,” Stimpert said.
Central Ohio Joint Fire District Fire Prevention Officer Lt. Jason Whipple said a fire in a mobile home typically can go from ignition to total involvement in just eight minutes.
Because a structure fire doubles in size every minute, the speed of these fires means every second counts for early warning. Smoke detectors can give occupants the time they need to escape these fires.
Menapace said the typical mobile home needs at least three smoke detectors. One should be installed outside the kitchen, one centrally located near the bedrooms, and one in the utility closet.
“By far, the most important thing anyone can do to improve fire safety is to ensure there are working smoke detectors throughout the home,” Bell stressed.
A fire safety plan and fire drills are also important for residents of mobile homes. “You need to be able to get out of a trailer very quickly,” Menapace said.
“Because there may be limited exits in a mobile home and windows may not be an option, it is extremely important that escape paths and access to exits, such as narrower hallways in mobile homes, be completely clear and free of all obstructions and clutter,” Bell said.
Windows in mobile homes are often not big enough to escape through in the case of a fire, and rear exit doors may have been sided over, or blocked by furniture or clutter.
In April, a family of five perished in Ada when their mobile home, which had no smoke detectors, caught fire. The exit door in the rear nearest the bedrooms had been sealed off, leaving the two adults and three small children trapped. A police officer who arrived after the fire started had no way into the house to rescue the family.
Less than a week later in Fairmont City, Ill., four family members including two children died in a trailer fire in which the rear exit had been covered by vinyl siding. The front door blocked by flames, the family had no escape from the fire.
Both fires took only minutes to engulf the homes.
Alternative heat sources in trailers, such as portable space heaters, also pose significant safety concerns. Menapace said allowing proper space around portable heaters, and never using one without a safety feature which shuts the heater off when it is tipped over are very important.
Heating is the most frequent cause of manufactured home fires according to the American Red Cross. Electrical fires are also common, twice as common as in one and two-family dwellings according to the U.S. Fire Administration.
In a typical year, the USFA reports manufactured homes account for 17,700 fires in this country.
Local firefighters and the state fire marshal’s office would like to see those numbers drop dramatically.
Menapace said the MVFD is interested in working with residents of mobile home parks to make their communities more protected from fire. He encouraged community management to contact the MVFD or their local fire department for help organizing fire prevention activities.
“I think that home fire safety should be more prevalent in a mobile home community,” Menapace said.
The USFA offers the following safety precautions for those living in manufactured homes:
•Have a minimum of two smoke alarms installed and check them monthly. Replace the batteries twice a year.
•Maintain your home heating system and have it annually serviced by a professional.
•Do not store combustibles or flammables near heat sources.
•Never overload outlets, extension cords or circuits. If a circuit breaker trips or fuses blow, immediately call an electrician.
•Have and practice an escape plan.
•Leave space around space heaters. Never leave them close to drapes, clothing or other combustible materials.
•Install skirting around your mobile home to avoid leaves and other debris from building up underneath.
