CPSC Warns of Children Drowning in Bathtubs, Bath Seats, and Buckets

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents and caregivers to look for and protect against drowning risks inside and around their homes. A recently released CPSC report on in-home drownings and non-fatal submersions in products such as bathtubs, buckets, bath seats, toilets, and landscaping features indicates that, from 2006 to 2010, there were 684 incidents involving children younger than five-years-old. This figure includes 434 fatalities (an average of 87 per year), 233 injuries, and 17 incidents with no known injuries.

Eighty-two percent of the victims were younger than the age of two and 81 percent of the incidents involved bathtubs or bath related products. After pools, bathtubs are the second leading location where young children drown. CPSC’s analysis of the fatalities found that 92 percent of the incidents occurred in residential settings.

Of the reported fatalities, 28 percent involved a lapse in supervision, such as a parent or caregiver leaving the bathroom while the child was in the bathtub to answer the phone or door or to retrieve a towel; in 23 percent, the child was left with another child, usually older; in 10 percent, the child was found in a product outside the home, such as decorative yard equipment or a bucket; and another 3 percent were found inside the home in a bucket/container or trash basket that was being used for cleaning.

CPSC is offering a number of drowning prevention safety tips, including:

• Never leave young children alone near any water or tub or basin with fluid. Young children can drown in even small amounts of liquid.
• Always keep a young child within arm’s reach in a bathtub. If you must leave, take the child with you.
• Don’t leave a baby or young child in a bathtub under the care of another child.
• Never leave a bucket containing even a small amount of liquid unattended. Toddlers are top heavy and they can fall headfirst into buckets and drown. After using a bucket, always empty and store it where young children cannot reach it. Don’t leave buckets outside where they can collect rainwater.
• Consider placing locks on toilet seat covers in case a young child wanders into the bathroom.

To access a copy of this CPSC report, please visit:

CPSC: Submersion Related to Non-Pool and Non-Spa Products, 2012 Report (September 2012)

Background information:

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Saturday Is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

On Saturday (29 September), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will again be coordinating a collaborative effort with state and local law enforcement agencies (including many agencies throughout New England) to remove potentially dangerous controlled substances from medicine cabinets. The free event will be held from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. These sites include (as of this writing) 70 in Connecticut, 161 in Maine, 144 in Massachusetts, 72 in New Hampshire, 39 in Rhode Island, and 52 in Vermont.

This Fifth National Take-Back Day is designed to provide an opportunity for the public to surrender expired, unwanted, or unused pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medications for destruction.  These drugs are a potential source of supply for illegal use and are considered an unacceptable risk to public health and safety.

This one-day effort is designed to bring national focus to the issue of increasing pharmaceutical controlled substance abuse. The program is anonymous, and it focuses on prescription and over the counter solid dosage medications (i.e., tablets and capsules). Intravenous solutions, injectables, and needles will not be accepted. In addition, illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative.

To view a list of collection sites in a specific state, please click on the following link:

US DEA: National Take Back Initiative Collection Site Search

US Fire Administration Releases Report on Heating Fires in Residential Buildings

With the beginning of fall and its cooler temperatures and the resulting seasonal increase in the number of home heating fires, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) recently issued a special report: Heating Fires in Residential Buildings (2008-2010). Developed by USFA’s National Fire Data Center, the report is based on data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).

According to the report:

• An estimated average of 50,100 heating fires in residential buildings occurred in the United States each year and resulted in an annual average of approximately 150 deaths, 575 injuries, and $326 million in property loss.
• Heating was the second leading cause of all residential building fires following cooking.
• Residential building heating fires peaked in the early evening hours between 5:00 and 9:00 PM with the highest peak between 6:00 and 8:00 PM. This four-hour period accounted for 30 percent of all residential building heating fires.
• Residential building heating fires peaked in January (21 percent) and declined to the lowest point during the summer months from June to August.
• Confined fires, those fires confined to chimneys, flues, or fuel burners, accounted for 87 percent of residential building heating fires.
• Thirty percent of the non-confined residential building heating fires occurred because the heat source was too close to combustibles.

The Fire Administration is also offering a reminder that home heating fires are preventable. As heating season gets underway in many parts of the country, the USFA is offering the following safety tips:

• Maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected annually by a qualified professional.
• Use heating equipment that has the label of a recognized testing laboratory.
• All heaters need space. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment.
• Plug space heaters directly into outlets and never into an extension cord or power strip.
• Install and maintain carbon monoxide (CO) alarms inside your home to provide early warning of CO.

To access the complete report, please visit:

USFA: Heating Fires in Residential Buildings (2008-2010)

Background information:

National Fire Incident Reporting System

U.S. Fire Administration

IAFC Adopts Updated Drug and Alcohol-Free Position

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) recently adopted a position statement on Drug and Alcohol-Free Awareness.

"Drugs and alcohol should never be a part of our fire and emergency service," said Chief Hank Clemmensen, IAFC president and chairman of the board. "Just as we would never tolerate such irresponsible behavior from those whose hands into which we place our lives, so should the public demand the same from us."

The position supersedes the organization’s 2003 Zero-Tolerance for Alcohol & Drinking in the Fire & Emergency Service, mirroring much of the content from the older alcohol-specific position and adding new guidance on illegal substances, legal prescriptions, and over-the-counter medication. It also encourages department support of assistance programs that can help responders avoid or address substance abuse.

According to the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section, the negative effects on judgment, decision-making, and reaction time while under the influence of drugs or alcohol are well-documented. Ignoring and failing to address signs of drug and alcohol impairment put the user, his or her fellow firefighters, the fire department, and the entire community at very high risk.

To access a copy of the statement, please visit:

IAFC Position Statement: Drug and Alcohol-Free Awareness

Background information:

International Association of Fire Chiefs

Get Ready Day

Each year on the third Tuesday in September, the American Public Health Association sponsors “Get Ready Day.” The timing of this observance is designed to coincide with National Preparedness Month. This year’s observance is scheduled for Tuesday, 18 September.

APHA’s “Get Ready” campaign is designed to help Americans prepare themselves, their families, and their communities for all disasters and hazards, including pandemic flu, infectious disease, and natural disasters.

For additional information related to Get Ready Day, please visit:

American Public Health Association: Get Ready Day

American Public Health Association: Are You Ready? (Get Ready Event Guide)

Background information:

New England City & Town News Notes: September is National Preparedness Month (28 AUG 12)

American Public Health Association

FEMA: Ready(.gov)

Fatal Three-alarm Fire in Uxbridge, MA

A mother and her daughter were killed in a fire Monday night, 3 September, at 649 East Hartford Avenue, Uxbridge, MA.

The initial alarm was struck at 2238 hours, and three alarms were stuck due to the intensity of the fire and the difficulties in supplying water (the nearest fire hydrant was approximately 1200 feet from the property). Thirteen fire departments from Massachusetts and Rhode Island assisted the Uxbridge department with the fire in the five-family residence.

In addition to the two fatalities, two firefighters and one civilian were injured in the fire.

Media reports:

Milford Daily News: Two bodies recovered from rubble after Uxbridge fire (5 SEP 12)

Telegram & Gazette: Four-alarm fire destroys Uxbridge house; mother, daughter missing (4 SEP 12)

Boston Herald: Two bodies found at scene of Uxbridge blaze (5 SEP 12)

Telegram & Gazette: Deadly Uxbridge fire left few clues on origin (6 SEP 12)

Boston Globe: Uxbridge fire started in apartment where mother and daughter died; cause cannot be determined (6 SEP 12)

WPRI-TV: Second body found in Uxbridge fire (4 SEP 12)

WCVB-TV: Two found dead in search for mom, daughter after Uxbridge fire (5 SEP 12)

NECN: Fire officials: Uxbridge, Mass. fire is hand-by-hand search (including clip from press conference) (4 SEP 12)

MetroWest Daily News: VIDEO: Uxbridge fire Press Conference (4 SEP 12)

MAFirePhotos: 9/3/12-Uxbridge-3rd Alarm Double Fatal-629 East Hartford

Boston Herald Photo Gallery: Fatal Uxbridge fire

WCVB-TV Photo Gallery: Inferno engulfs home

WPRI-TV Photo Gallery: Raging fire engulfs 5-unit Uxbridge home

Background information:

Uxbridge Fire / EMS Department

MassFireTrucks: Uxbridge Fire (Apparatus/Station Photos)

MassFireTrucks: Uxbridge Fire (Apparatus Roster)

Town of Uxbridge

Wikipedia: Uxbridge, Massachusetts

Google Map: 649 Hartford Avenue East, Uxbridge, MA

Bedford, NH, Barn Fire Kills Fourteen Horses

Fourteen horses were killed in a three-alarm barn fire at the Perry Hill Farm, 32 Perry Road, Bedford, NH, on Thursday morning, 6 September. An additional eight horses, as well as a number of goats and a pig, were rescued from the fire.

The initial alarm was stuck at 0823 hours. Three alarms were struck in order to bring in a sufficient number of tankers for water supply. Fire companies from Amherst, Goffstown, Hooksett, Londonderry, Merrimack, Milford, and New Boston were among the many units assisting at the fire in the 10,000 square foot barn. No human injuries were reported.

Media report:

New Hampshire Union Leader: 14 horses killed in Bedford riding academy fire, 8 rescued by neighbors (7 SEP 12)

Nashua Telegraph: 14 horses die in Thursday morning blaze at Bedford barn (7 SEP 12)

Bedford Patch: More than Dozen Horses Dead in 3-Alarm Fire (6 SEP 12)

Boston Globe: Fire in big N.H. barn kills 14 horses (7 SEP 12)

NECN: 14 horses killed in Bedford, NH barn fire (6 SEP 12)

NECN: Heartache in Bedford, NH after fire kills 14 horses (6 SEP 12)

WMUR-TV: 14 horses killed in barn fire in Bedford (6 SEP 12)

WBZ-TV: 14 Horses Killed In Bedford, NH Barn Fire (6 SEP 12)

WHDH-TV: 14 horses die in Bedford, NH barn fire (6 SEP 12)

Bedford Patch Video: 14 Horses Killed in Barn Blaze

Background information:

Bedford Fire Department

Town of Bedford

Wikipedia: Bedford, New Hampshire

Perry Hill Farm

Google Map: 32 Perry Road, Bedford, NH