The winter holiday season is an especially important time to practice fire safety as it brings a new set of potential fire hazards directly into your home. Whether you traditionally use Christmas trees, lights, yule logs, or Hanukkah candles, practicing fire safety is absolutely essential for you and your family this season. Christmas Trees can be particularly problematic and according

All stats provided by the NFPA an organization SkySaver is proud to be a member of. The Holidays can be a particularly dangerous time for home fires and extreme caution should be used when bringing trees, lights, and candles into your home. For tips on how to make your holiday experience enjoyable and fire safe check out our post on holiday safety tips. CHRISTMAS TREE

According to new statistics, 2014 has officially been the busiest year in FDNY history as they have responded to over 1.6 million calls, up from the previous record of 1.575 million in 2012. These staggering numbers are, “The highest ever, literally, in the history of this city,” according to NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio. Many city officials claim that this inflated number is due to the

Fire safety and knowing how to safely evacuate a building are crucial to ensure your safety and security. In fact, fires happen all the time, and according to the NFPA there are about 1.2 million fires reported in the US each year and  Can we learn fire safety tips from three of the most popular comedy shows? THE OFFICE: FIRE ALARM The

A recent skyscraper fire in Dubai has again brought the issue of fire-safety in skyscrapers to the forefront of people’s attention. The fire, which started on the 52nd floor, was quickly spread by strong winds, and affected over a dozen floors. Amazingly, despite the raging fire, heavy smoke, and falling debris, there were no reported injuries or fatalities and the fire was quickly brought under control

Both the NFPA and FEMA strongly advise that all rooms in your home should have two safe exits in case of an emergency evacuation. In the event that a fire blocks the door from being a safe exit, this could mean that exiting through a window is your safest option. This important point is illustrated in the FEMA video below: Unfortunately,

Two engineering majors at George Mason University have invented a new firefighting device that may one day revolutionize the industry. This device is incredible because it uses sound waves to put out fires, not water, not foam, not CO2, sound waves! The science behind it is that the pressure waves displace oxygen and as we all learn in elementary school, fires need oxygen to burn and

Fires can start in all sorts of crazy ways, which is why it’s so important to have a safe evacuation plan no matter where you are. Here are 8 examples of fires that started in crazy and unusual ways. Hopefully we can learn something from these cases and practice better fire safety. MARCH 22/2015– TOASTER CRUMBS A build up of crumbs

Unfortunately, the word ‘prepper‘ is now attached to several negative stereotypes and may conjure up images of camo-clad, gun slinging, bunker dwelling folks. This stereotype has been over-hyped in the media and in television shows such as National Geographic’s Doomsday Preppers, and has led many to denounce the prepper movement as “crazy”. In reality, preppers are merely trying to make

When travelling in the third world and developing countries, there are many safety tips to keep in mind. One that is of particular importance is making sure the hotel you book is up to proper safety standards, this means, among other things, ensuring that the hotel is up to proper fire safety standards and has an emergency procedure in place. Hotels may claim to be

Inside the SkySaver backpack is a controlled descent device (CDD) which underwent rigorous testing under many conditions. These tests were done in conjunction with the Standards Institute of Israel at their facility. In order to ensure that the SkySaver device is safe to use in all conditions, the CDD was tested after being subject to flames, an oven, freezing temperatures, oil, and dust. After

Leading up to our launch we will be holding weekly fire trivia contests and each week one lucky winner will get a SkySaver t-shirt. So find out how much you know about smoke alarms and make sure to share with friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Outdoor fire escape systems have been a familiar escape device for those living in high rise buildings for many years, but are they becoming obsolete? Buildings all over the world are beginning to lose their fire escapes and instead, are being built with internal fireproof staircases. This is due to the 1987 change in building code, which moved towards supplying safer fire evacuation methods for

Not all fires require a full building evacuation, some fires are kept at bay in single apartments, while others can spread through the entire building. Since we were children, we have been warned and taught about fires and what procedures to follow if one should occur. In school, whenever there are fire drills we were told to evacuate immediately and not waste any time

At SkySaver, we have done rigorous testing to make sure the product is safe, durable, and can be used easily in an emergency situation. Previously we showed you some of the testing we’ve done to the controlled descent device (CDD) and we have also done ergonomic testing to see how humans interact with the device. We wanted to make sure that even someone who has

In a previous blog post, lessons were learned about fire safety from popular television sitcoms. Now let’s learn from the big screen. The National Fire Protection Agency reports that there are about 1.2 million fires reported EACH YEAR in the USA. Now, what can we learn from the likes of Frank Drebin of Naked Gun, Derek Zoolander of Zoolander, and Barry Allen of

The National Fire Protection Association or NFPA reported that from 2007-2011, 15,400 high-rise structure fires were reported PER YEAR. These fires resulted in 530 injuries, 46 deaths, and $219 million in property damage on average each year. Of the 15,400 fires reported, about 3% were in high-rise buildings. That means there were about 400 fires on average per year in

According to the FEMA Agency, electrical fires in homes claim the lives of about 280 Americans each year and injure 1,000 more. Electric malfunctions and electric appliances cause about 10% of all fires in USA households, and most electrical fires originate in the fixed wiring in the house. Second to that are fires that are caused by cords and plugs,

You probably think you know all there is to know about campfire safety by now. You went to boy/girl scouts and/or to summer camp as a kid, you already heard the talk from a guidance counselor about what precautions to take when building a fire in the wild. But think again. This was back when you were young and free,

When it comes to fire safety, you need to separate fact from fiction, reality from myth, truth from lie. In the heat of the moment (pun intended), you cannot afford to make a mistake. One slight misstep can be the difference between life and death, injury and safety. This can happen from simply thinking you have more time than you

From a young age, children are taught not to play with fire. Fire is hot and it hurts, so stay away. It’s always a vague warning with no real explanation as to what fire is. Let’s understand how fire works. What is fire? What gives fuels it and what is it composed of? Why does it spread the way it

FROM A YOUNG AGE, YOU ARE TAUGHT ABOUT THE DANGERS OF FIRE. DON’T PLAY WITH IT. DON’T BE CARELESS WITH IT. THESE ARE COMMON KNOWLEDGE, THINGS EVERYONE IS AWARE OF. BUT, WHAT ARE SOME COOL AND INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT FIRE THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD ABOUT. DO YOU KNOW WHO INVENTED THE FIRE HYDRANT? DO YOU KNOW WHY FIRE

Everyone knows that fire is hot, but how hot can it actually get? Not everyone realizes that there are different temperatures for fire depending on the fuel, as well as the oxidizer type. There’s a huge difference in temperature between a simple flame burning on a candle and the fire burning from a propane torch. So, what are the degrees

Who hasn’t quoted The Simpsons, when Doctor Nick rightfully exclaims “Inflammable means flammable? What a country!” Do you even know why flammable and inflammable mean the same thing? He asks the question and it’s hilarious, but it really does make sense that he would, especially considering English does not appear to be his first language. Generally, words that begin with

Rollovers, flashovers, and backdrafts. These three terms are used to describe special fire circumstances. You do not want to be caught in a situation when any of these are happening in your vicinity. Even with all of their equipment, these circumstances are also dangerous for firefighters. What do each of them mean? Why should you be concerned about flashovers? What

It’s the holiday season. This is the time of year, statistically speaking, that residential fires tend to spike. You’ve got Black Friday, Hannukah, Christmas, and maybe even someone’s birthday, so odds are you’re buying something for somebody. Who doesn’t get concerned about the possibility of theft of expensive items. It is also the season of snow, so you never know

DON’T IGNORE THE STATS High rise dwellers and occupants have a more serious challenge than residents of low rise buildings when an emergency situation arises. Challenges range from longer evacuation time, smoke movement, first responders accessibility, fire control, and more. Between 2007 and 2011 there were an estimated 15,400 fires reported in high rise structures per year. These resulted in

When living in a high-rise, fire safety should be at the top of your list of priorities. Having all of the proper safety precautions set up in your building will help prevent disaster. Smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, and SkySavers, just to mention a few. But when a building has neglected one of these life-saving devices/installations, many can be

You might think that SkySaver’s only use is to escape a fire when there is no other way out. Fire safety is the focal point of our promotional video, as well as many of our blog posts (How to Create an Action Emergency Plan, Rollovers, Flashovers, and Backdrafts, Inflammable or Flammable, How Hot Can Fire Get?). This is due to fires being a relatively common

Looking for a place to live isn’t easy, as many factors play into the decision. Probably the two things people take into account more than anything else are location and price. You might consider other factors, such as schools, health care quality, etc. One thing that people don’t always consider, and should, is the safety of the neighborhood that they

Forty-six percent of US residents believe they will experience a disaster in the coming years, yet very few are actually preparing. Only one third of Americans participated in a preparedness drill this past year. Maintaining your composure during an emergency situation is easier said than done. No one really knows how they will behave when it comes to a moment

When living in a multistory building, fire safety should be a top priority. Each resident should make it their business to have preventative measures put in place. This includes organizing an action emergency plan, owning a fire extinguisher, and owning a SkySaver. The one thing that precedes usage of any of these measures is your warning system i.e. your smoke detector. There

As mentioned in a previous blog post, SkySavers are for more than just fire safety. A SkySaver can be used to escape terrorism, an earthquake, and an active shooter. However, there is something that we neglected to mention. Permanently installed powered platforms are used for window cleaning, typically for buildings over 300 feet tall. There are currently between 500-700 in use

The first thing you may be asking is, “What is an ICE List?” ICE or In Case of Emergency is a vital list which every person should highly consider having because you never know when the next emergency may happen. Bob Brotchie, a British paramedic, conceived the ICE program in 2004. His program encourages people to make an ICE list

Office fires in the United States are a regular issue, causing 44 injuries, 4 deaths, and $112 million in direct property damage on average each year. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), fire departments in the USA respond to an average of 3,340 office fires annually. These fires generally occur between noon and 2 PM, and are most

In a previous blog post, the chemical makeup of fire was discussed. This included the fact that fire needs an oxidizer. This allows fire to thrive and spread. With the proper conditions, fire can spread quite rapidly. But, how fast does fire actually spread? How much time would you have to escape if a fire broke out in your home? With

When starting a business, the first thing on your mind is most likely related to how you can be successful. This is completely natural, as in order to keep a business afloat, it must make sales, reach goals, and convert. One major factor relating to the success of a business that not everyone understands, is employee morale. Unhappy employees are

When it comes to safety, there is a lot that can be done to prevent fire, fight fire, and escape fire. Knowing there is a fire in your home or office is the first step. Attempting to put it out is the second (assuming it is not yet out of control). The third step is evac. It is pointless to

The following is a list of 10 must-have apps for preppers. These aren’t necessarily the top 10 apps, as we wanted to list a variety of different apps with different functions, and not 5 survival guide apps. It gets boring that way. Ideally, you should only need one of those. This list is meant to be diverse, so that it

A one-alarm fire in Joppa. A two-alarm fire on Malvern Road. A three-alarm fire in Staten Island. A four-alarm fire on Washington Avenue. A five-alarm fire in Fresno. A six-alarm fire on Canal Street. A seven-alarm fire in Lower Manhattan. An eight-alarm fire in Haverhill. A nine-alarm fire in Olive Hill. A ten-alarmfire in Brooklyn. An ELEVEN-ALARM fire in Delanco? A TWELVE-ALARM fire in Camden? A THIRTEEN-ALARM FIRE in Philadelphia?? What do the numbers mean? How many alarms can there be? When and where did

We’ve covered what fire is, how it spreads, how hot it gets, and more. The answers to these questions may have been interesting, however, what are some things that may surprise you about fire? From its history to its chemical makeup to other random tidbits, here are 10 surprising things you didn’t know about fire. Did you know that fire makes water? Crazy,

Memorial Day weekend right around the corner. On Memorial Day, Americans remember those who died while serving in the armed forces. Many visit cemeteries and memorials on that day. People tend to barbecue on Memorial Day as well. With barbecues come the proper precautions that should be taken prior, during, and after. Did you know that July is the peak month

Everyone has flammable materials and liquids lying around their house. Some you may know about and some you may not. Many common household items contain flammable contents. It is important to know which items in your house would be dangerous next to a flame. There are also much less common substances that are EXTREMELY flammable. You are a lot less likely to come

Fire safety should be of paramount importance when living or working in a high rise building. Getting stuck with no way out should never happen, yet sadly, even in today’s day and age, people still get trapped in fires. There were many deadly fires over the course of 2015, throughout the USA and the entire world. These types of tragedies

See “The 4 Biggest Fire Starters” for the companion list. Fire safety should be a high priority when starting a home, especially when you have small children. The last thing you want is to be figuring out how much your insurance will cover for damages, or worse, mourning the death of a family member. Knowing what can cause a fire

The Fourth of July is here, and you know what that means: Celebrations, Hot dog eating contests, barbeques, and fireworks. Fire safety is crucial during this time as everyone is partying, drinking, and can easily get careless. You don’t want to be lighting fireworks while you’re drunk or starting up a gas grill while you’re smoking. Independence Day is a

There is something mesmerising about fire. You just stare at it and continue to stare and stare. You don’t know why, but you do it anyways. Something about it draws you in. Before you know it, several minutes have passed and you forgot what you were doing before staring into the fire. It’s something people have been doing since a

As emphasized over and over again, fire safety should be a top priority in your home or office. Without a doubt, your home or office should be equipped with proper fire safety items, such as smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, SkySavers, etc. But it’s the year 2016, and everyone is equipped with a smartphone as well. What apps can you install

When a fire starts in your residence or office, the first thing you think of is probably to put it out with water. That’s not necessarily a good thing. There are times where water will not extinguish the fire, or will even make things worse. The last thing you need when dealing with a fire is having it go out of

Labor Day is right around the corner and that means the school year is just about to begin. Now is definitely the time to go over some fire safety tips for educational institutions. Did you know that from 2007 until 2011, an estimated 5,690 structure fires in educational properties were responded to annually by United States fire departments? The results

It’s always good to be prepared when encountering emergency situations. Whether fire, natural disaster, or terrorist threat, you can never be too careful. We previously covered prepper apps and fire safety apps. This list will be covering disaster apps for smartphones and tablets. There is definitely some overlap between preppers apps and disaster apps, so just think of this as

In a previous blog, we covered the Best Firefighting TV Shows. Now, we will be discussing the top five firefighter movies. As with the TV shows, there are not that many to pick from (especially those of quality), however, there are enough to make a list of the ones we deem to be the five best. These are the movies that

About 90 percent of wildfires are started because of humans. Whether intentional or unintentional, these fires generally begin from campfires which are not properly attended or extinguished, discarded cigarettes, and sometimes arsonists. Natural wildfires (the remaining 10 percent) are started by lightning or lava. There are several classifications of wildfires, that include brush fire, desert fire, grass fire, forest fire,

You’ve come to this site and you’ve probably seen our videos. You can see the benefit of SkySaver, however, you, like many others are probably thinking “What about my fire escape? I can just get out that way, with no need to use a SkySaver.” While that it is true that many buildings have fire escapes, we will get into

Samsung’s new smartphone, the Galaxy Note 7, continues to have fire safety issues and do damage to the company’s image, as well as its stock. Production of the phone has completely stopped and a recall was issued, as Samsung is doing its best to save face. The last major electronic device to randomly burst into flames was the hoverboard. There

This evening is Halloween, and that means candy, costumes, and jack-o-lanterns. Along with Halloween comes an array of potential fire hazards. Pumpkins, decorations, and billowing costumes can all cause potential fire safety issues. It is always best to take precautions when decorating, setting up candles, etc. According to Lorraine Carli, the National Fire Protection Association Vice President of Communications, candle

On New Year’s Eve, approximately 10 months ago, a hotel in Dubai went up in flames. The 63-storey skyscraper was believed to have been engulfed due to a pair of curtains catching fire. The fire spread at an alarming rate, prompting a major investigation. How did the fire spread so fast? Did something fuel it? Was there cause for alarm?

As we are nearing some of the peak days for home cooking fires (see our post on how to extinguish different kinds of fires here), we thought it best to go over some tips on how to prevent grease fires and how to fight them should your prevention methods prove unsuccessful. Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas are the 3 biggest days

Winter is most definitely upon us and that means extended use of heaters, ovens, and dryers. It’s also the holiday season and that means electronic decorations, cooking, and candles. An average of 210 home fires started by Christmas trees were responded to annually between 2010-2014 which led to an annual average of 6 deaths, 16 injuries, and $16.2 million in

The year has come and gone and sadly, fire safety is still very much an issue in the world today. Whether a third-world country or first-world country, no one has been immune to tragedy when it comes to fire. Every year, more and more technology is developed, either as a means of fighting the fire, or as a means of escaping the

We previously discussed fire safety in TV shows such as Seinfeld, The Flash, The Office, and more, as well as fire safety in movies such as The Naked Gun and Zoolander. Here are a few more TV shows we managed to pull some fire safety lessons from, as well as a video game. Obviously, these are all done in a comedic way, however, that

Fire is the observable effect of the procedure for combustion – a special kind of chemical reaction. It happens between oxygen in the air and a few types of fuel. The products from the chemical response are totally distinct from the startintg material. The fuel should be heated to its ignition temperature for combustion to happen. The response will keep

You will find five types of fire extinguishers commonly in use today; water, foam, powder, CO2 and wet substance. Other forms of more specialist fire extinguishers include, Halon, clean agent fire extinguisher, and specialist powder extinguishers like Class – D fire extinguishers for metal fire hazards and monnex powder. Water fire extinguishers are the most often used, the simplest, and

We recently posted about ten of the most prolific fire safety recalls which happened over the past several decades. That was just the tip of the iceberg. There are recalls due to fire safety hazards all the time, and we think it’s best to keep you informed on a regular basis regarding such instances. Unless you’ve been living under a rock over

SkySaver is not ONLY for escaping fires, as many believe. It can be used in any kind of high-rise emergency, including natural disasters such as earthquakes, active shooter situations, and terrorism. It’s about time we discuss the real threat global terror is posing in the world today. There’s no question that global terror is on the rise. You don’t want to be stuck in a

An apartment can become a death trap in a matter of minutes, should a fire break out. There are only so many egress points (especially for one living very high up), which is why it is best to prevent fire, so escaping it doesn’t become the issue. Obviously, it’s not 100% preventable, which is why at the end of this,

The name “fire tornado” sounds pretty scary. A fire tornado is also known as a fire devil, firenado, fire twister, and fire whirl, none of them sounding much less concerning (maybe “fire whirl). Regardless of which name you use, this natural occurrence happens when intense rising heat and tempestuous wind conditions combine. This volatile combination creates whirling tornado-like event. It’s

More than 2,500 fire deaths occur in the USA every year. Eight out of ten of these fire deaths result from home fires. Most home fire deaths could be eliminated with the installing of residential fire sprinklers, said State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci. The good thing about having fire sprinklers in the house, is that it far surpasses the

Spring break is quickly approaching and that means that college campuses will be emptying for a short period of time. It’s best now to brush up on some campus fire safety tips, so they can be implemented when the school year resumes. College is the first time for many young adults being on their own. Having many major responsibilities thrust

You believe it’ll never happen to you. In fact, you know it’ll never happen to you, right? People own smoke detectors, so they must believe that a fire breaking out in their home is a definite possibility. That extra bit of warning time will allow you to put the fire out before any drastic measures must be taken. People own fire extinguishers,

Going along with the thinking “it’ll never happen to me” is not the smartest thing to do. How many people do you know who don’t have health insurance, homeowner’s insurance, etc. Assuming you can afford to protect yourself from potential unexpected circumstances destroying you financially, it would make sense that you would want to protect yourself physically as well, even

“It’ll never happen to me.” “I’m always careful.” “What’s the big deal?” “Even if something happens, I can definitely handle it.” These are some of the ways people reason with themselves when being carless when it comes to fire safety. They plug in appliances near wet locations in the kitchen. They use third party phone chargers and keep their phone

Everyone owns household appliances, whether a refrigerator, oven, TV, etc. These devices generally require a much greater electricity usage than, say, a cellphone or laptop. Due to the immense electricity requirement, the items are more likely to be fire hazards (with some exceptions, i.e. certain cellphones that tend to explode). We will begin this new series on fire safety for household

Crane disasters became quite common in the world as the anticipation for rapid urban development has increased globally. Bigger building, bigger projects, and exploding payrolls for the biggest construction companies have attracted a glut of workers, trained and untrained, to build these projects. Regardless of how long is dedicated to safety, accidents and crane collapses will happen. Big Blue –

THE DISABLED AND FIRE SAFETY – Fires can cause devastating harm to property and even death to many people. The risk of being injured in a fire or becoming a fire casualty is higher for people with mental, physical and sensory disabilities. The excellent news is that deaths by fires are preventable provided that the person is educated on how