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Fire study shows children at risk By AMBER FOSSEN Ashland Daily Tidings In an instant, a peaceful home can turn into a blazing inferno that preys on the most susceptible victims. A 10-year study on infant and toddler fire deaths concluded that young children in Oregon, particularly under the age of 5, are two and half times as likely to die in a residential fire than the rest of the state's population, according to the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA, partnered with the U.S. Fire Administration, is trying to alert people to the increased risk of fire death for babies and toddlers - a risk that has hit close to home in the past. On Feb. 7, 2002, Ashley Nicole Day, 3, died at Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford after being injured that morning in a fire that broke out in an apartment room in the Ashland Tudor Square complex on Terra Avenue. A subsequent investigation found the batteries in the smoke alarm had been removed and an incense stick was left burning unattended, according to Ashland Fire and Rescue Chief Dave Hard. Hard said there were additional factors that played into the fatality. "The other contributing factor was that she was on the top bunk of the bunk bed," Hard said. "She was in what we call the smoke and heat layer at the top of the room." Day's 18-month-old sister Kimberly Ann Day - who was on the bottom bunk at the time of the fire - was released from RVMC Feb. 10 after being treated for serious injuries. The girls' mother, Michelle Wimberly, faces charges of manslaughter two and assault four for lighting the incense stick that caused the fire. The case will go to trial Aug. 26. If convicted on both charges, Wimberly could receive up to seven years in prison and more than $200,000 in fines, according to the Jackson County District Attorney's Office. Tragic deaths are not as uncommon as one might suspect. Sally Ridenour, Oregon State Fire Marshall Public Information Officer, said Jackson County has seen four fire-related fatalities and two fire-related injuries among children under the age of 5 since 1998. "We do average about 40 fire fatalities each year in our state and about 25 to 30 percent are children under the age of 14, and children under the age of 5 more often," Ridenour said, noting small children rely on adults to get them safely out of the home. "If the unthinkable happens, if you have a fire, what are you going to do?" Ridenour said. Hard said there are a number of preventative steps people can make including the installation of properly working smoke alarms and setting a good fire safety example for children to follow. Safety is a message Medford Fire Department Fire Inspector Debi Bisbee is also trying to spread. She urges parents with children who have expressed interest in fire to contact local fire departments for referral to the Jackson County Juvenile Firesetters Network. "It can be a very, very small curiosity but you can nip it in the bud," Bisbee said. The network offers a series of age-related programs that are based on safety awareness, according to Bisbee, who serves as the program's coordinator. The program is free. Even if children don't show an interest in fire, there are steps every parent can take to reduce the risks in their home Bisbee said, including storing matches and lighters out of children's reach, testing smoke alarms, and planning an escape route with instructions that children are never to go back inside the house. For more information on fire safety, log on to www.safekids.org LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -