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MultiVu Video Feed: Home Fires on the Rise

Every year inthe United States thousands of homes are destroyed by fire. Unfortunately, this problem only seems to be getting worse. According to a report recently released by the U.S. Fire Administration, fire departments acrossthe United States responded to more than 412,000 home fires in 2006 - a jump of more than 16,000 fires from the previous year. Many of these fires were caused by electrical problems that could have easily been prevented.

Home electrical fires annually cause over 500 deaths, injure more than 1,400 people, and account for $1.4 billion in property damage. Older homes are at even greater risk to fire. According to the US Census Bureau, half of the homes inthe United States were built before 1973. These homes and electrical systems were built before many of the appliances and electronics that we commonly use today were even around. For example, more than a third of US homes were built before hair dryers or electric can openers were even invented. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Energy reports that home energy consumption is at an all time high. The Electrical Safety Foundation is providing homeowners with a checklist to help them identify electrical dangers commonly found in each room of their home.

    For more information relating to Fire Prevention Month 2008, visit:
www.electrical-safety.org

    SATELLITE FEEDS:
    Friday, October 3rd, 2008          Monday, October 6th, 2008
    1:00 PM - 1:15 PM ET               1:00 PM - 1:15 PM ET
    AMC 3                              AMC 3
    C-Band                             C-Band
    Transponder 3                      Transponder 3
    Downlink Freq. 3760 Vertical       Downlink Freq. 3760 Vertical

NEWS: In Support of National Fire Prevention Week October 5th-10th, the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) urges homeowners to identify and correct electrical fire hazards in their homes.

FORMAT: B-roll and Soundbites

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Video, contact information and more available at: http://www.prnewswire.com/broadcast/35903/consumer.html

    B-ROLL INCLUDES:
    * footage of outdated technology and overburdened electrical systems
    * appliances
    * fire footage and shock hazards
    * Arc-faults circuit interrupter
    * tamper resistant outlets
    * professional electrician making house calls

VIDEO PROVIDED BY: The Electrical Safety Foundation International

Contact: FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL: MultiVu Media Relations, 1-800-653-5313 EXT. 3

SOURCE The Electrical Safety Foundation International