By Ryan Harris
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)
LAFAYETTE, Ga. — The death Sunday of a 77-year-old LaFayette, Ga., woman in a house fire illustrates the heightened risks seniors face during emergencies, officials said.
“The main thing is awareness,” said LaFayette Public Safety Director Tommy Freeman.
Mr. Freeman said it’s important to check on seniors and to ensure they have operating smoke detectors. He said the Public Safety Department provides free smoke detectors and installation.
Mr. Freeman said he is unsure if a smoke detector was operational in the house where a fire killed Barbara Watkins on Sunday. Her son, Joe Johnson, escaped but was injured when he attempted to go back into the Magnolia Street home to rescue his mother.
Mr. Johnson was treated and released from Hutcheson Medical Center in Fort Oglethorpe, officials said.
Ms. Watkins was on the first floor of a two-story home when the fire started Sunday evening. Mr. Freeman said the cause is believed to be an electrical malfunction in a kitchen outlet or countertop appliance.
Ms. Watkins is one of an estimated 1,100 seniors age 65 years and older who die in fires each year, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. About 3,000 more are injured annually.
“It’s tragic this individual died, but we can learn from this,” said U.S. Fire Administration spokesman Tom Olshanski.
The U.S. Fire Administration launched a safety campaign five years ago for adults over 50.
The agency’s statistics show that people between ages 65 and 74 are twice as likely to die in a fire than adults in other age brackets, and the risks are five times greater for seniors over 85.
Mr. Olshanski said simple preventive measures can reduce the risk, starting with seniors being safe when they smoke. Cigarettes are the leading the cause of deadly fires for seniors, records show.
Wearing loose clothing in the kitchen near heating elements is another major fire risk for seniors, Mr. Olshanski said.
Neighbors and family members can help seniors develop an escape route and keep smoke detectors functional, Mr. Olshanski said. He said reducing clutter can be a lifesaver.
“A couch in a burning building, where we may be able to jump over it, becomes a wall for seniors,” Mr. Olshanski said. “They simply get caught in a building they can’t get out of.”
Copyright 2007 Chattanooga Publishing Company