The Editor’s Opinion Page
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Don’t Forget That People Use Kerosine Heaters
The distributors of kerosine heaters are depending on educating consumers to prevent users from becoming fire victims. That’s what we learned at a press conference of the National Kerosene Heater Association.
Heater dealers are expected to present “a short safety course” to purchasers, said Roger Mitchell, president of the association. Bob de Montigny, a safety consultant for the association, stated, “The product is safe if used correctly,” and he cautioned, “Don’t leave a kerosine heater unattended for any length of time.”
When asked how “educating the consumer” is expected to eliminate fire deaths associated with the use of these heaters when the National Safety Council has been trying valiantly to reduce traffic deaths for years without success, there was no satisfactory answer.
We might add here that the United States Department of Transportation has forced the installation of buzzers and lighted warnings to make auto drivers fasten seat belts. Surveys show only a minority do.
While there have been some improvements in the modern kerosine heater compared to the type that was banned in many states years ago, the people who use the new generation heaters are just like those who misused kerosine heaters in the past. Heater fires and deaths show no “improvements” have been made in the users.
That’s why the fire service has a right to resist the introduction of kerosine heaters in homes throughout the country.
Members of the fire service know that properly enforced codes have improved fire safety. They also know that advice about never refueling a heater inside a house, following instructions, using a good grade of kerosine, and not leaving a heater unattended, etc., are just so many words. And none of them spells safety.
