Fire Safety Tips for Elderly Living at Home and in Assistive Living
Advice from Chris Alberti, Heather Heights Group Assisted Living Residences

According to a report by the U.S. Fire Administration, elderly Americans have a more serious risk of injury and death than any other population segment in the United States.  Their vulnerability is due to a number of factors, including: physical frailty, greater use of medications, and higher rates of smoking.  Many seniors see, hear, and smell less clearly and therefore have greater difficulty detecting fires.  Physical disabilities and health problems often hinder mobility.*

The Heather Heights Group Assisted Living Residences in the Buffalo NY and Rochester NY areas have nearly 30 years of experience in fire safety for the elderly.  We therefore asked Chris Alberti, a Maintenance Director of the Heather Heights Group, to share some of his tips with seniors living both at home and in assistive living.

Fire Safety for the Elderly Living at Home

Install a Coordinated Fire Alarm System. It is very important that your smoke detector is connected to a dedicated line so that it can automatically call the fire department when set off.  Even if the elderly hear the alarm, they have a higher risk of not being able to respond or evacuate.  You should have smoke detectors on each level of your home.

Install a carbon monoxide detector to further reduce your risk.  Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors once a month.  Replace detector batteries twice per year.  A good way to remember this is to change them when you change your clocks.  Replace your detectors every 10 years.

Don’t use open flames or high risk appliances, such as extension cords, portable heaters, and candles.  Smoking fires are the leading cause of fatalities among the elderly, so it is best to avoid smoking in the house altogether.  If you must smoke in the house, avoid doing so while in bed or while sitting on any upholstered furniture. 

Keep the space around any heating units clean and free of combustible substances, such as gasoline, paint, butane, nail polish, and lighter fluid.  Remember that gasoline vapors can find an ignition source several feet beyond their source.

If you use your fireplace, then try to reduce your risk by never using gasoline to start a fire.  Keep the area around your fireplace and chimney clean and clear of clutter and combustible items.

Kitchen safety.  Cooking fires are the leading cause of injuries among the elderly, so take great care in the kitchen.  Always keep the area around your stove clear and clean.  Turn pan handles so that they don’t stick over the edge of the stove.  Have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen.  Never use water to put out a grease fire.  Everything that goes into your microwave must be suitable for that appliance; placing the wrong items in the microwave can start a fire.  Not only metal itself, but other cook-ware with a metallic look or sparkle may not be suitable for the microwave.

Know your exit route and keep it clear.  Do your own fire drills, especially if you live higher than the ground floor and do not have quick and easy exits.  Keep your exits clean and clear.  Make sure that all of your throw rugs have non-skid backing so that you don’t take a fall on your way to the exit.

Fire Safety for the Elderly in Assisted Living

Choose a residence that has no more than 2 stories and a fire-sprinklers system.  Elevators can’t be used during a fire and most elderly struggle with stairs.  If you live in a residence with a one-story floor plan, then you can even exit through windows, if necessary.  A sprinkler system will help put out fires and may give you more time to exit the building safely.

Choose a residence with fire-rated doors that close automatically.  Since seniors have decreased mobility, they may have difficulty exiting their rooms quickly without help.  A fire-rated door will help keep them safe until an escort arrives.

Don’t use extension cords.  Even though NY State allows them in assistive living facilities, the Heather Heights Group does not allow any extension cords to be used in our residences.  Instead, we supply residents with power strips, which pose a much lower fire risk than extension cords.

Choose a residence that conducts drills and trains its staff in fire safety.  At the Heather Heights Group residences we conduct fire drills on a monthly basis to prepare our staff and residents for an actual emergency.  Our staff inspects each room of the residences for occupants before exiting.  We continually try to find ways to improve our fire safety and exit time.  One way that we do this is by marking the door handles of already inspected rooms to improve our efficiency.

Never smoke in your room or on upholstered furniture.  This point needs special emphasis.  Smoking is the leading cause of fire fatality in the elderly and the second cause of injury.  Seniors have diminished response times for recognizing and responding to danger.  So it is best to avoid this risk altogether.

Interview taken by Nektaria Hamister