ORLANDO, Fla. – In 2013, more than 1.2-million fires were reported in the U.S., killing more than 3,000 and causing more than $11 billion in property damage. How can you keep your loved ones and your home safe?
Kids at Tibet Butler Preserve in Orlando get to learn all about fire and fire safety with hands-on exhibits.
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"We do the guided hikes, and we always talk about fire in the ecosystem and why that's important," said Marie Everett, site supervisor at Tibet Butler Preserve.
Everett is a unique kind of firefighter. She fights fire with fire with what's called prescribed burns. They're planned fires that help eliminate dead leaves and undergrowth that build up over time.
"If you don't get in there and sort of clear that out periodically, at any moment you could have a wildfire," Everett explained.
In 2013, a wildfire consumed 21 acres of the preserve. Without prescribed burns, wildfires can get out of control, posing a danger to nearby homes.
"If there was a wildfire or something like that, a tree could come and fall on your house, or embers could fall," Everett added.
To keep your home safe make sure the building material is fire-resistant, remove all undergrowth and dead plants, clear roof surfaces and gutters of leaves and branches, store gasoline away from occupied buildings, and make sure your home has at least two different entrance and exit routes.
Beth Jackson, the Environmental Program Supervisor at Tibet Butler Preserve, works with Everett, sharing both a love for the outdoors and seeing that forests are sustained.
"They help us with our health issues and our stress issues, get out in the environment, I mean you cannot stay in a bad mood if you're outdoors," Jackson said.
Some sources of home fires include a clogged lint trap in your dryer, overloaded wires, burning candles, and a clogged filter in a furnace. For 10 ways to fireproof your home, go to http://www.redbeacon.com/hg/10-ways-fireproof-your-home/.