The U.S.
Fire Administration says that there are about 12,700
clothes-dryer fires in residential buildings annually, resulting in an estimated
15 deaths, 300 injuries and $88 million in property loss
each year.
You can read the
report here.
The
study found:
- "Failure to clean" is the leading
factor contributing to clothes-dryer fires in residential
buildings.
- New home construction trends place
clothes dryers and washing machines in more hazardous locations away from
outside walls, such as bedrooms, second-floor hallways, bathrooms and
kitchens.
Interestingly, this time of year is
the height of dryer-fire season, partly because of the amount and type of
clothing that we toss in the dryer when the weather is cold.
The study suggests:
- Never
put synthetic materials such as rubber, plastic, foam, or pieces of cloth
that have been used to sponge up flammable liquids in the dryer, even if
previously washed.
- Clean
the lint out of the exhaust pipe and the rear of the dryer
regularly.
- Inspect
your lint filter for rips each time you use it. If you see any rips,
replace immediately.
- The
exhaust pipe should be as short as possible and have limited bends to
allow for adequate airflow.
- Never let your clothes dryer run while you are out of the house or asleep.
The study also cites some examples of dryer fires that caused lots of damage:
- On Dec. 12, 2005, a woman
suffered severe burns after the clothes dryer in her Deerfield
Beach, Fla., home
exploded.
- On Nov. 16, 2006, a clothes
dryer caught fire and caused $3,000 in damage to a China Grove, N.C., laundromat.
- On Dec. 13, 2005, a Tuesday morning clothes-dryer fire in Hialeah, Fla.,
left a family homeless. The
family said the fire was caused by lint in the ventilation duct.
- On Jan. 26, 2006, according to a
Suffolk, Va.,
fire report, a blaze was caused by an obstructed dryer vent hose. The fire
was contained to the dryer, destroying the appliance and the clothes
inside.
"Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket" Month
Get this: The
Arizona Business Gazette found out that in an average week, a company
that rounds up stolen shopping carts picks up 15,000 carts in Arizona
alone. There is enough work for this cart-retrieval company that it now has 18
flatbed trucks on the road. Shopping-cart theft is a big problem. No wonder
there is now a "Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket" Month.
I am not kidding. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there really
is such a designation. And this is the month. In any case, people
who walk off with shopping carts are stealing fairly pricey property.
The
Census Bureau says:
We've all seen them and wondered how
they got there -- a supermarket shopping cart, sitting forlornly along a
residential street, far from the nearest grocery store. Was it a prank, or
someone who walked to the store and bought more than they could carry? Either
way, this is Return
Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month -- including milk crates and bread
trays. The idea is for consumers to avoid the increased food prices that result
when store owners have to replace stolen equipment. And supermarkets play a big
role in everyday life.
In 2000, the Food Marketing
Institute estimated that thieves walked away with $180 million in
shopping carts every year. A store that loses two carts a day would suffer an
annual loss of $73,000.
Al's Morning Multimedia
I told you yesterday about investigative reporter Bill
Dedman's MSNBC.com firefighter safety investigation. I interviewed
Bill, a career print guy, about his transition to video storytelling.
Wal-Mart Does Downloads
It is the Wal-Mart version of iTunes.
As of yesterday, Wal-Mart offers
downloadable TV shows and movies. Wal-Mart already accounts for four out of 10 CD sales in America.
New
releases will be available here.
USA
Today
says the downloads will be available on the same day that the DVDs are released. Each
movie download will cost up to $19.88. Older
films will run up to $9.88.
TV
episodes -- from networks like Fox,
CW, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, Logo and VH1 -- will cost $1.96 the day after they air.
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
Editor's
Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story
excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as
original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly
from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided
whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends upon the
accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors and
inaccuracies found will be corrected.
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