City of Muscatine Communication Blog

The National Weather Service issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook Monday indicating that a strong winter storm could affect the Muscatine area Thursday through Saturday.

While there is still some uncertainty as to the track of the storm, blizzard or near-blizzard conditions are expected with high winds and snow amounts of up to 12 inches. The combination is likely to cause white outs or blizzard conditions from late Thursday through Saturday.

Very cold temperatures will also arrive late in the week and, combined with the wind, could create wind chill values dropping to as low as 25 to 35 below at times.

Now is the time to prepare your home and your vehicle for this winter storm and the rest of the winter season. Fire safety is part of that preparation.

A little common sense goes a long way to keeping you safe throughout the year, and that is especially true during the winter months when houses are closed up and cold temperatures arrive according to Assistant Fire Chief Mike Hartman.

With old man winter already making himself known to the Muscatine area just before the Christmas holiday and furnaces across the community expected to have their first real workouts of the winter season this weekend, Hartman recommends families to complete a safety check of their homes before the harshness of winter sets in.

Inspecting the furnace, water heater, any other gas or coal-burning appliances, fireplaces, and wood stoves along with checking the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in a home are common sense steps toward fire prevention and home safety this winter.

Fireplaces and wood stoves should be cleaned and inspected each year before use and homeowners should use caution when disposing of the ashes from previous fireplace fires.

“It is a good idea to make sure that your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are in good working order,” Hartman said. “Check the batteries and change if needed. Also check the date on the detectors. Sensors, over time, are not as functional. If they are 10-years-old, they need to be replaced. Also, if there is no date on the detector, it is probably is a good idea to replace them.”

CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING

Fire and the potential for carbon monoxide poisoning are two of the major issues related to winter home heating along with the use of space heaters.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that can fill a home without the occupant realizing it and usually striking the victim while they are sleeping. More than 400 people die from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning every year in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 20,000 visit the emergency room, and more than 4,000 others are hospitalized.

Winter is a time when residents seal up their homes as much as possible to keep the cold from getting in and the heat from getting out. When a homeowner does that, however, there is the greater likelihood of a carbon monoxide buildup. If you had a cracked heat exchanger on your furnace, for example, and it went undetected you could be filling up the home with carbon monoxide and not even know it.

That is one of the reasons that a carbon monoxide detector is required in every home and it is suggested that one be placed outside of every bedroom in the home. And if the detector activates, just don’t believe that it is a bad battery.

“It is better to investigate,” Hartman said.

Hartman said that if a person calls 911 and reports that a carbon monoxide detector is making noise, the dispatcher will ask if anyone has a headache (that occurs at home but not when at work or school), signs of flu, or anything like that might be related to carbon monoxide poisoning.

“If they do, we will respond,” Hartman said. “If they don’t, we send the gas company who are better equipped to detect where the leaks are coming from and what needs to be done to solve the problem.”

SPACE HEATERS

While the number of fire calls that are the result of a space heater failure have not been great, the potential does exist if common sense is not followed.

“I do not know how many use space heaters anymore, but there are concerns about their use,” Hartman said.

Chief among them is that electric space heaters need to be plugged directly into a wall outlet and without the use of an extension cord.

“We have had a lot of electrical fires from the overuse of extension cords,” Hartman said. “If you have to use one, make sure that it is a heavy enough one that will not overheat when used. In the grand scheme of things, we have not had a lot of space heater issues, or a lot of fireplace issues in the last few years also.”

And never use a portable flameless chemical heater indoors or a gas oven to heat your home. 

KITCHEN FIRES 

Hartman added that kitchen fires, although not weather related, have been the reasons for many of the calls the department has responded to lately.

“These usually happen when someone forgets that they have a pan on the stove and sits down to watch television or falls asleep,” Hartman said. “Again, it is just common sense that if you have something on the stove, pay attention to it.”

In one example, a resident left a pan of grease unattended on the stove and it caught fire. The residents’ fire extinguisher did not work so they tried to spray the grease fire with water to put it out. Unfortunately, that just spread the fire and the individual suffered burns as a result.

“Water may eventually put out a grease fire if you use enough of it but it will definitely spread the fire first,” Hartman said. “The best option in putting out a grease fire is to use a lid to cover the pan and smother the fire.”

SNOW AND ICE BUILD UP

Heavy snow and ice could block the roof vents for a resident’s furnace and water heater which could force carbon monoxide back into house.

The Fire Department also asks that after a heavy snow event residents shovel out a three feet circle around fire hydrant so that fire crews have room to operate should they be needed.

TURKEY FRYERS ARE MEANT TO BE OUTSIDE

Hartman vividly remembers an incident many years ago where a home was lost because the residents used a turkey fryer inside.

“Sadly, it is a fairly common story this time of year,” Hartman said. “If not used properly you could lose your home or you could suffer severe burns from improper usage.”

Turkey fryers are meant to be used outside and not in a house or inside a garage.

CANDLES CAN ALSO CAUSE FIRES

Candles are another item that residents have to remember about and not place near anything flammable, near window coverings, near paper towels, or near areas when kitchen towels are hanging. If you leave the room, try to remember to put the candles out especially, is you are going out or going to bed.

Candle fires peak in December and January with 11 percent of candle fires in each of these months according to the National Fire Prevention Association.  Christmas is the peak day for candle fires. Each year between 2015-2019, an average of 7,400 home candle fires were reported each year.

Generators

Portable generators are useful during power outages, however, many homeowners are unaware that the improper use of portable generators can be risky according to the National Fire Prevention Association. 

The most common dangers associated with portable generators are carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, electrical shock or electrocution, and fire hazards. According to a 2013 Consumer Product Safety Commission report, half of the generator-related deaths happened in the four coldest months of the year, November through February, and portable generators were involved in the majority of carbon monoxide deaths involving engine-driven tools. 

Never use a generator inside a home, basement, or garage, or less than 20 feet from any window, door or vent. Even if windows and doors are open fatal levels of carbon monoxide can fill a home.

CAR IN A GARAGE

Never run a car in a garage that is attached to a house, even with the garage door open as carbon monoxide could still penetrate into the home. When running a car in a detached garage, always open the door to let fresh air in.

OTHER RESOURCES

National Fire Prevention Association: Put A Freeze On Winter Fires

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Winter Weather

National Safety Council: Winter Safety Tips and Fire Safety Tips.

MUSCATINE, Iowa – Six members of the 11-person shift that arrived to battle a late-night house fire on a cool September night remain on active duty with the Muscatine Fire Department. Four have retired or moved on. One remains the only Muscatine firefighter to die in the line of duty.

A year and three days after 343 firefighters perished in a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, Muscatine lost one of its own while battling a house fire. Firefighter Michael Kruse was 53-years-old and a 27-year veteran of the Muscatine Fire Department when he lost his life on the night of September 14, 2002.

Kruse will be remembered during a special service Wednesday (Sept. 14) with the laying of a wreath, placing of structural firefighting gear, and a moment of silence at the Firefighters Memorial commemorating the 20th anniversary of his death.

Kruse remains the only Muscatine firefighter to die in the line of duty, the only Iowa firefighter to lose their life while on duty in 2002 and the 131st in the state of Iowa since record keeping began in 1890.

Jerry Ewers, now the Muscatine Fire Chief, fondly remembers meeting Kruse for the first time as part of his team at Station 2, and sadly remembers the night Kruse lost his life.

“I remember that night very well,” Ewers said.

Muscatine Fire Department’s Green Shift responded to a structure fire at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2002, finding a wooden three-story multi-family home at the intersection of Orange and East 6th streets engulfed in flames. Kruse was one of two firefighters who were working on the structure's roof when Kruse fell through and into the structure below. 

When Ewers arrived at the scene he issued an all-call to bring in other shifts and relieve Green Shift in containing the fire.

“The tragedy suffered by Green Shift was felt by all those who came to the scene,” Ewers said. “But it was best to relieve that shift and allow them to grieve. We still had a job to do but it was a very emotional night.”

Kruse’s dedication to job safety and protecting Muscatine residents is a lesson that can be taught to the firefighters of today and those of the future. 

His sacrifice and loss of life while on active duty, the emotional toll it took on his family, co-workers, and Muscatine residents, and the hope that Muscatine will never again experience a tragedy such as are all part of the message presented verbally or in the silent thoughts of those attending during each memorial service.

Assistant Fire Chief Mike Hartman also knew Kruse and carried his picture with him when he completed the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Memorial Stair Climb. The significance that two tragedies come so close together for Muscatine Firefighters is not lost on Hartman.

“It is sad but also offers you an opportunity to reflect on the job, and the sacrifices they made,” Hartman said. “I look at it as a chance to kind of rededicate yourself. Mike passed in 2002 and we don’t have a lot of people on staff who remember him.”

Ewers first met Kruse in the 1990’s as a newly appointed Fire Lieutenant assigned to Station 2. Kruse was a member of Ewers’ crew along with then firefighter June Anne Gaeta.

Ewers admits that as a very young, very green fire lieutenant he was book smart but lacked the fire ground command and exposure to structure fires.

“Mike was a true teacher and mentor to me,” Ewers said. “His experience in fighting real fires, his expertise with the equipment, and his knowledge of the city helped this young lieutenant grow.”

Kruse joined the department in 1975