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CNN Live At Daybreak

Interview with David Oliver

Aired October 07, 2002 - 06:53   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I don't know if you realize this, but this is fire prevention week.
And joining us with tips to save your life is David Oliver, president of the Home Safety Council.

Good morning and thanks for coming to DAYBREAK.

DAVID OLIVER, HOME SAFETY COUNCIL: Great to be here, Carol.

COSTELLO: We appreciate it.

So tell me, how many deaths are caused by fire every year?

OLIVER: The Home Safety Council wants America to understand that this is a huge problem. Three thousand deaths every year. So that's a life that's claimed every two and a half hours in this country.

COSTELLO: And how do most house fires start?

OLIVER: There are definitely top issues concerning the kitchen. So, cooking equipment or unattended cooking, that's one of the first tips that we have, to ensure that something on the stove, an adult needs to be present.

COSTELLO: Yes, so it's something that we really can't prevent. And you said the second leading cause of fire is leaving something too close to the furnace.

OLIVER: Heating equipment, we're coming upon heating season, so we need to ensure that anything flammable needs to be at least 36 inches, three feet away from those heating sources.

COSTELLO: And there are some really simple things you can do to save you and your family's life that many Americans just aren't doing, for whatever reason, and one of the simplest things is to have a working smoke alarm in your house.

OLIVER: You know, a recent Home Safety Council survey showed that more than 20 percent -- only 20 percent of households actually check their -- and test -- their smoke alarms.

COSTELLO: Which seems funny to me, because when the batteries die in mine, you get that little beeping noise that alerts you that you've got to change the battery.

OLIVER: Oftentimes it's a nuisance, so someone takes it out. So we want to ensure that...

COSTELLO: Oh, so you mean that the noise like irritates people so they just take the battery out and don't replace it?

OLIVER: Yes, and which is a shame, because we find all too often that about one third of smoke alarms are not operating. So we want to ensure that people are installing and testing monthly their smoke alarms.

COSTELLO: And it's a shame because even if you can't afford them, there are many places where you can get smoke detectors free.

OLIVER: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Yes.

OLIVER: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: OK, the fire extinguishers. I don't know of many people who actually have a fire extinguisher in their home, to be honest with you.

OLIVER: Well, a key to a fire extinguisher is actually to use it, to know when to use it, to know how to use it and to ensure that you are actually working with a small, contained fire. So...

COSTELLO: So you were talking about kitchen fires and stuff on the stove burning and that would be a prime time to use the fire extinguisher?

OLIVER: The kitchen is a great place for an extinguisher, but even for those stove fires, when we want to smother that fire as best we can.

COSTELLO: Got you.

So what is the proper way? Do you just like -- I mean it sounds simple, you just squirt it on there?

OLIVER: There's a simple method called pass -- pull, aim, squeeze and sweep. So ensure that if you do have fire extinguisher, and we do suggest that for kitchens, for garages, at least one on every level of the home.

COSTELLO: Got you.

And you have the escape plan, which many families don't have either.

OLIVER: You know, there's a limited amount of time that families have to ensure that they get out of a fire in case they do hear their alarm in the middle of the night or any time during the day.

COSTELLO: How much time do you usually have to get out?

OLIVER: About two to three minutes. COSTELLO: That's it.

OLIVER: So we need to ensure that every family member sits down, writes down their floor plan ensures that they know two ways out of every room in the home.

COSTELLO: Got you.

OLIVER: Then they need to have a meeting place outside so that they can account for everyone in the household.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes. Oh, yes, that's a great idea.

Thank you very much. Common sense ideas but ideas many Americans don't practice. Thank you, David, for coming in.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 7, 2002 - 06:53   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I don't know if you realize this, but this is fire prevention week.
And joining us with tips to save your life is David Oliver, president of the Home Safety Council.

Good morning and thanks for coming to DAYBREAK.

DAVID OLIVER, HOME SAFETY COUNCIL: Great to be here, Carol.

COSTELLO: We appreciate it.

So tell me, how many deaths are caused by fire every year?

OLIVER: The Home Safety Council wants America to understand that this is a huge problem. Three thousand deaths every year. So that's a life that's claimed every two and a half hours in this country.

COSTELLO: And how do most house fires start?

OLIVER: There are definitely top issues concerning the kitchen. So, cooking equipment or unattended cooking, that's one of the first tips that we have, to ensure that something on the stove, an adult needs to be present.

COSTELLO: Yes, so it's something that we really can't prevent. And you said the second leading cause of fire is leaving something too close to the furnace.

OLIVER: Heating equipment, we're coming upon heating season, so we need to ensure that anything flammable needs to be at least 36 inches, three feet away from those heating sources.

COSTELLO: And there are some really simple things you can do to save you and your family's life that many Americans just aren't doing, for whatever reason, and one of the simplest things is to have a working smoke alarm in your house.

OLIVER: You know, a recent Home Safety Council survey showed that more than 20 percent -- only 20 percent of households actually check their -- and test -- their smoke alarms.

COSTELLO: Which seems funny to me, because when the batteries die in mine, you get that little beeping noise that alerts you that you've got to change the battery.

OLIVER: Oftentimes it's a nuisance, so someone takes it out. So we want to ensure that...

COSTELLO: Oh, so you mean that the noise like irritates people so they just take the battery out and don't replace it?

OLIVER: Yes, and which is a shame, because we find all too often that about one third of smoke alarms are not operating. So we want to ensure that people are installing and testing monthly their smoke alarms.

COSTELLO: And it's a shame because even if you can't afford them, there are many places where you can get smoke detectors free.

OLIVER: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Yes.

OLIVER: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: OK, the fire extinguishers. I don't know of many people who actually have a fire extinguisher in their home, to be honest with you.

OLIVER: Well, a key to a fire extinguisher is actually to use it, to know when to use it, to know how to use it and to ensure that you are actually working with a small, contained fire. So...

COSTELLO: So you were talking about kitchen fires and stuff on the stove burning and that would be a prime time to use the fire extinguisher?

OLIVER: The kitchen is a great place for an extinguisher, but even for those stove fires, when we want to smother that fire as best we can.

COSTELLO: Got you.

So what is the proper way? Do you just like -- I mean it sounds simple, you just squirt it on there?

OLIVER: There's a simple method called pass -- pull, aim, squeeze and sweep. So ensure that if you do have fire extinguisher, and we do suggest that for kitchens, for garages, at least one on every level of the home.

COSTELLO: Got you.

And you have the escape plan, which many families don't have either.

OLIVER: You know, there's a limited amount of time that families have to ensure that they get out of a fire in case they do hear their alarm in the middle of the night or any time during the day.

COSTELLO: How much time do you usually have to get out?

OLIVER: About two to three minutes. COSTELLO: That's it.

OLIVER: So we need to ensure that every family member sits down, writes down their floor plan ensures that they know two ways out of every room in the home.

COSTELLO: Got you.

OLIVER: Then they need to have a meeting place outside so that they can account for everyone in the household.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes. Oh, yes, that's a great idea.

Thank you very much. Common sense ideas but ideas many Americans don't practice. Thank you, David, for coming in.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com