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The death of a one-year-old child in a fire in Eastern Oregon earlier this week continues to turn focus to fire safety in mobile homes. In order to find some tips to make your home safer, reporter Mike Sharp spent the day with the Deputy Fire Chief in Nampa.

Smoke detectors can play a life-saving role in any home, and because of that, Deputy Chief Doug Strosnider spent the day handing out and installing fire alarms for folks in mobile homes.
Strosnider says, while everyone needs an alarm, it's fires in mobile homes that often get out of hand the fastest.

"We're talking seven, six, eight minutes in that area. I'm telling you what, most of these trailers, they are flat out getting after it and fire is blowing out of the windows when our guys show up," he says.

And, it's not just about what the buildings are made of. It's also about the types of windows that come with older models of mobile homes. They're small and high above the floor, and that can mean danger for the elderly or small children.

"Not to block any doors, not to seal off any windows. Keep things safe. Just in case something happens, they can get out," says mobile home park manager Sabina Hallam. She says those are just some of the tips she gives to the residents of her park. She says looking after that list of items can make a big difference.

"Yeah. If a fire happens, they burn quicker. But, if you take care of it and you make sure you're safe, you're just as safe in a mobile home as you are in a house."

Strosnider adds that making your address visible can also help firefighters find your home quicker. So, he always carries house numbers along with smoke detectors in his road kit.