Thursday, January 18, 2018
Monsey: How to cut down fire risks in the Jewish community
The Jewish community in Rockland County faces unique fire risks due to religious observances, which can be mitigated with proper safety and prevention.
Many of the risks come from laws concerning the sabbath and holidays, and it's important to not only know what to do in those situations, but also to know whom to call, Monsey Fire Department President Raphael Ziegler said.
Sabbath and holiday fire safety tips include proper placement of candles, how to handle oven and cooking fires, why calling 911 is critical in fire situations and why carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are so important.
Lighting Shabbat candles
Candles are used to usher in the sabbath and Jewish holidays.
Women traditionally light multiple candles — one for her, her husband and one for each child in the household. Additionally, any female child over the age of 3 lights her own candle in many households.
During Hanukkah, every male over the age of 3 lights his own menorah, with a candle being added each night of the holiday.
Ziegler said situational awareness with candles can make all the difference. Candles placed next to windows could ignite curtains and blinds and the heat produced from multiple candles can cause walls to ignite from a distance.
"Be mindful where the flame is," Ziegler said, adding that noting where children play and planning accordingly is a significant factor in preventing accidents, because a single thrown toy could knock over a candle.
Other things to be aware of is the sturdiness of the table the candles sit on and the candelabra, he said.
Experts say another big fire risk is candles left unattended.
Rockland Fire and Emergency Services Coordinator Gordon Wren Jr. said families often go to synagogue or sleep and leave the candles burning, and this could have grave consequences.
"We've had some terrible tragedies by candles left unattended," he said.
'Oven fire capital'
Ziegler called Monsey the "oven fire capital of Rockland."
Kitchen and oven fires are extremely common in Rockland, especially around Jewish holidays, he said.
"It happens so often, and what we see is that people don't clean their ovens properly," Ziegler said.
Many people self-clean their ovens, but Ziegler said physically cleaning out grease accumulation in the oven is the best way to prevent these kind of fires, especially when doing a high volume of cooking.
Fire officials advise not to put water on grease fires and in the case of an oven fire, to keep the door closed, turn off the gas or electricity and call 911.
Experts also say to never leave the stove or oven on and unattended. Not even to pick up children off the bus or run quick errands, Ziegler said.
Another unique fire risk is the burning of challah, a traditional braided bread eaten on the sabbath, according to Ziegler. Many families bake challah every week, and as tribute to the Jewish temple, they burn a small portion of it.
Burning challah was the cause of a fire on Blauvelt Road in Monsey last November. Ziegler said when burning challah, the challah must be completely doused before it is put near anything flammable.
"When you burn it, extinguish it," Ziegler said. "Just because you don't see a flame on something, doesn't mean it's not still on fire."
He said the highest volume of calls in Monsey are the day before Passover and a Jewish holiday called Lag B'Omer, which takes place almost two months after Passover and often involves bonfires.
He said that the call volume for Passover has decreased, but firefighters still get called out a lot for fires on Lag B'Omer. Ziegler said it is often children and teenagers who go out and start fires on this day, and urged parents to talk about fire safety with their children.
'Call 911 and only 911'
"It is extremely important to call 911 and only 911 when there is a fire," Ziegler said. "That's the only way the fire department will know when you have an emergency."
He emphasized that while Hatzolah, Chaverim or other volunteer assistance groups are good community resources, calling those organizations instead of or before 911 will delay the fire response, sometimes with severe consequences.
"There are many wonderful organizations in this community ... they all serve a distinct and important purpose," Ziegler said. "However, people have to understand when to call the correct number to the correct emergency service. We don't know to come to an emergency unless we are called."
Detection is key
Many ultra-Orthodox families use something called a "blech" on the sabbath. A blech is often a metal plate put over the stove to keep food warm without violating the no cooking on Shabbat law.
But experts say this plate could cause a silent killer to build up in the home: Carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless gas.
"We go to a lot of carbon monoxide emergencies," Ziegler said. "Carbon monoxide is produced mainly when fuel is not burnt completely. People don't realize how dangerous that becomes."
He said that carbon monoxide calls often come over the Jewish sabbath and holidays, when the blech covers the stove and suffocates the fire.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, nausea, dizziness and fatigue.
Ziegler emphasized the importance of having a carbon monoxide and smoke detectors on every floor of the house, and in hallways near bedrooms.
He said firefighters often see a lack of smoke detectors, incorrectly placed detectors that create nuisance alarms and detectors with dead batteries, which can be avoided by changing the batteries when the clocks change.
He added that if the alarm is placed near a kitchen or a place that causes it to go off a lot, it is important to move the detector, not remove the batteries.
Fire officials stress that smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are inexpensive, and they can save lives.
"It's such a minuscule amount of money for such a life-saving device," Ziegler said.
Preparedness and prevention
Fire experts urge every family, large or small, to have an emergency plan.
The plan should include every exit, meetup spots, an accountability system, ways to call for help and multiple evacuation routes, including from upper floors of a house.
"Muscle memory is a very important thing," Ziegler said. "When you practice something over and over it becomes second nature. These things need to be planned out beforehand and practiced."
Situational awareness, especially in densely populated areas and multi-family homes, can also save lives, he said.
"The dangers are multiplied so many times, that it's not just for yourself and your family, you have to remember the other people that are living in that building you are in," Ziegler said.
This includes knowing how long it would take to notify everyone in the building and area, and how long it takes to evacuate everyone, including children, the elderly and anyone sleeping, according to fire officials.
"A house can go up in flames in literally minutes," Ziegler said. "They say a fire doubles in size every minute. If you calculate how fast a fire can spread, your entire house or building can be consumed within a few minutes."
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