This page provides a central location for accessing information regarding fire safety and prevention that concerns older adults. Maine is a state that has a large elderly population, and many of these folks live in their own homes. Elderly people and young children have a higher risk of injury or death from fire than the rest of the population. In the case of the elderly, it is often due to lack of mobility, impairment due to medications, forgetfulness, or a hearing or visual impairment. The resources listed below can provide information on how to reduce the possibility of a fire and tips on how to assist elderly people with fire prevention, detection and escape.
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Smoking and General Fire Safety
Seniors are at greater risk for injuries or death in a fire because they may have trouble hearing a fire alarm or be able to escape a building, and elderly people who smoke and use medical oxygen have a higher risk of significant injuries or death if a fire occurs. Please review the following documents for more information on general fire prevention and smoking concerns. Information on fire safety for disabled people is located at the bottom of this webpage.
- Medical Oxygen and Smoking Concerns (PDF, NFPA document)
- Fire Safety for Older Adults (link to USFA website)
- Home Fire Escape Plans (link to USFA website)
Heating Safety
Many elderly people have trouble staying warm during the winter, as heating costs increase. As a result, they may try to use electric blankets, cooking stoves, kerosene heaters, and other devices to warm their homes. Many of these devices can be dangerous to a person's health and home if they are improperly used. The following links provide more information on these devices and their potential for creating fire or health hazards .
- Electric Blanket Safety (PDF)
- Tips for Safe Operation of Alternative Heating Devices (PDF)
- Carbon Monoxide Safety (NFPA link)
The Maine State Housing Authority (MSHA) has several programs that can assist low-income people with home weatherization and heating programs. Weatherizing a house can reduce the amount of fuel needed to keep it warm, which could prevent elderly people from resorting to alternative sources of heat (as described above) to stay warm. Select the link to go to the MSHA's Energy page.
Elder Abuse Concerns, Including Neglect and Financial Issues
Elder abuse in Maine, and around the nation, is a growing problem as our population gets older. The abusers may be family members, caretakers or friends; and abuse may take the form of physical or emotional abuse, exploitation of the elder's financial resources or neglect. Visit the National Center for Elder Abuse for more information about abuse, how to identify it, and how to stop it.
How does this topic concern the Fire Service?
Law enforcement agencies and other first responders may encounter situations where an elderly person has been abused or neglected. As a result, they can help that person connect with community resources to ensure their health and safety. Select the link to go to the Maine Council for Elder Abuse Prevention for more information on what constitutes neglect of an elderly person and for a phone number to contact Adult Protective Services.
- Fire departments may discover a hoarding situation if they respond to a fire and cannot easily rescue a person or put out a fire due to the large accumulation of items in a house or apartment. The firefighters may also get injured or trapped by the items.
Hoarding issues are difficult to resolve, but they are a dangerous situation for people to live in: they may trip or fall over items; become sick as a result of mold, dust or vermin accumulated in the home; or are unable to escape a fire because of blocked exits or if the hoarded material allows the fire to burn too fast for escape.
Hoarding could be an indication of neglect on the part of the person responsible for an elderly person's care. For more information on hoarding, please go to the US Fire Administration's Hoarding and Fire Safety webpage.
- An elderly person may use alternative forms of heat to warm their homes if they are being financially exploited or neglected. People often don't want to talk about these issues if they are experiencing them, due to embarrassment or fear of retaliation. Firefighters or other first responders may discover this issue at a home if they respond to a fire or medical call which was caused by improperly using devices for heat (see previous section titled "Heating Safety" for safety tips and heating assistance).
Cooking and Fire Safety
Every year many people are burned or killed in fires that started when something went wrong while they were cooking. Please review the following documents for information on cooking safety.
- Tips for Elders on How to Cook Safely (PDF)
- Deep Fat Frying and Food Safety- this is a link to a U.S. Department of Agriculture webpage
- Cooking Fire Safety -this is a link to a U.S. Fire Administration webpage
Disabilities and Fire Escape Issues
People may have disabilities that limit their ability to detect and escape fires. The following documents provide more information on how to prepare for a fire if you have disabilities.
- Fire Safety for People With Disabilities -this is a link to a U.S. Fire Administration webpage
- Preventing Falls at Home: Room by Room- this is a link to a National Institute on Aging webpage
- High-Rise Apartment and Condominium Safety (PDF, this is an NFPA document)
- Smoke Alarms for People Who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing (PDF, this is an NFPA document)