March 15, 2006

Fire deaths prompt safety talks

       Her children tried to stop Fern Carter from smoking near her oxygen tank.  But the lifelong smoker did not heed the warnings, lighting one on Saturday morning while she was using the oxygen for medical reasons.  The tank caught fire, and the 74-year-old from Center Grove was trapped inside the home’s bedroom. Severely burned over most of her body, she died hours later at the hospital.  Three days earlier, a Greenwood woman in her 60s was burned after she too lit a cigarette that ignited the canister of oxygen near her bed.  The state fire marshal wants to use their stories to talk about fire safety and try to prevent more fires.  Statewide, 14 people died in fires during the past week.  Two Johnson County blazes involving children have gained the marshal’s attention, too.  Two Franklin boys were critically burned Feb. 27 when a gasoline-filled bottle exploded as one boy tried to set a shoe and other items on fire. They are still hospitalized and are recovering.  A couple of weeks earlier, an 8-year-old Center Grove area boy singed his friend’s hair as he used a lighter and hairspray bottle as a makeshift flame-thrower.  “Hearts of firefighters are hurting because we can’t pinpoint why this is happening,” state fire marshal Roger Johnson said. “This isn’t just Greenwood or Franklin. It’s everywhere and impacts every family.”

         Johnson has invited firefighters from across the county and state to attend a brainstorming session and news conference at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the White River Township Fire Department headquarters, on Mullinix Road near Smith Valley Road.  He hopes the conference will help firefighters determine what kinds of education can help inform families about fire dangers.  Johnson outlined three key points firefighters need to educate the public about:

•    Homes must have working smoke detectors.

•    Children cannot play with fire, gasoline or explosive chemicals.

•    Elderly people need to be aware of potential fire dangers, especially oxygen tanks.

         “We need renewed awareness of the basics,” he said. “There’s got to be some type of education to reinforce common sense rules.”  The two recent oxygen-tank fires show a problem exists and that people need more education on smoking around fire hazards, Johnson said.  Two White River Township firefighters were injured in the fire that resulted in Carter’s death. Both are recovering, the department chief said.  “No matter the reason, the fact remains that these (fires) shouldn’t be taking place,” Johnson said.  Local fire departments might need to spend more time in nursing centers or senior citizens’ homes, he said.  “Maybe we need to reiterate these messages and spend more time in schools and nursing homes,” said Lt. Tom Kite, spokesman for the Greenwood Fire Department. “Something obviously isn’t getting through.”  Carter’s family said she knew the dangers of smoking while on oxygen but was not willing to kick the habit.  “She was strong-headed and just couldn’t stop,” said Carter’s niece, Karen Gaskin of Indianapolis. “You couldn’t convince her otherwise once she had her mind set on something.”  Carter’s son, Doug Carter, said his father died in March 2005 of lung cancer after years of smoking.  Fern Carter continued smoking despite the dangers, he said.

         Businesses that rent or sell oxygen machines are required by law to educate people about the dangers of using oxygen.  Henderson Pharmacy in Franklin instructs each patient on oxygen about potential dangers and how to operate the equipment. Everyone must go through a checklist of items, including fire prevention and specific instructions not to smoke.  The local store has about 150 customers on oxygen. About 80 percent of the cases are a result of smoking, said home-care consultant Brett Richey.  Warning stickers indicating a flammable mixture are on every tank.  “The prevention is there,” he said. “It’s just getting people to quit smoking at this stage.”  See related stories HERE and HERE.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)

 
    

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