A CLOSE CALL FOR DIANNE & TODD

Safety Site

When the safety article came out about how dangerous cell phone cords can be, I was surprised as I had no idea about this danger. However, I must admit I didn’t take it seriously, thinking, “What are the chances that could happen to me?” Apparently the chances were higher than I thought. On a recent night I smelled something burning in our bedroom. After a thorough search I discovered the burning was coming from my cell phone cord. The wall plug was extremely hot to touch and area where the cord went into the phone was melted and brown. I can see how a fire would have started if I had not been home or if I was not awake to detect the issue. It’s scary to think the fire would have started right next to me as the phone was on my bedside table. I have learned and now always unplug the cord when the phone is done charging, I also will be replacing my cell phone cords on a regular basis. I'm thankful for the safety articles more than ever!                                                      Dianne Hilliard

Cell Phone Chargers Can Cause Fires

Club member and Sparks Firefighter, Doug Barr, shared the following safety information regarding fires caused by cell phone chargers.  Thank you, Doug.  This was a real “eye-opener”.

Sent: Friday, December 05, 2014 9:10 AM
To: Fire Dept.
Subject: Safety Message

On November 28, 2014 C Battalion responded to a fire in an apartment.
The fire investigation found that the fire had been caused by a cell
phone charger left plugged in to an outlet with the end of the charger
on the bed. Fire Investigator Don Parsons did some research and found
that cell phone chargers left plugged in have caused fires around the
world. Below are a few links to some news articles on cell phone
chargers.

This serves as a good reminder to unplug chargers when they are not
being used. It may be a good thing to point out to occupants if we
notice chargers left plugged in while responding to calls in their
homes.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/Cellphone-charger-likely-cause-of-Inkster-fire/21967690

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2751947/Faulty-phone-charger-fire-ripped-house-Sydney-causing-family-five-flee-s-roof-collapsed.html

Sean Holbrook
Captain
Sparks Fire Department

RSRC members, please share this with your family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors.