Fire Safety in the Home

Fire Safety in the Home

Our residences are frequently the most costly single purchase we make. They are not only a substantial financial commitment, but they are also a tremendous emotional investment. They are where we raise our children and celebrate our lives. Our houses are our shelter from the chaos of the outside world, a safe haven where we may live, love, and develop together. Nonetheless, there are over 500,000 house fires in the United States alone each year that are severe enough to need a call to the fire department. Worse, over 4,000 Americans are killed and 20,000 are wounded in house fires each year. Unfortunate figures, indeed, but as tragic is the fact that the great majority of these fires, injuries, and fatalities are avoidable.

Top ten fire safety tips

Install smoke detectors

Smoke alarms are the single most crucial investment you can make for your house. Working smoke alarms may increase your chances of survival in the event of a fire. The majority of fatalities in house fires are caused by smoke rather than fire. Every floor of a house should have at least one smoke alarm. To ensure that smoke alarms are completely functioning, they should be inspected weekly, maintained dust-free, and their batteries updated yearly. The smoke alarm should be updated every 10 years, or more often if advised by the manufacturer.

Make an escape plan

If a fire does start, you must get out quickly. Being woken up at 2:00 a.m. by a smoke alarm is not the time to plan how to get you and your family to safety. You must prepare ahead of time by getting down with your family and discussing an escape strategy that includes at least two exits from each room. If you reside in an apartment building, your escape strategy must exclude the use of elevators. Finally, while developing your escape plan, choose a secure meeting spot outside where everyone may gather after the escape. Your family should rehearse the escape plan twice a year.

Smoking should be avoided

Careless smoking is the biggest cause of fire fatalities. Avoid smoking in bed, and make big ashtrays easily accessible to smokers around your home. Cigarettes may smolder unseen beneath and around upholstered furniture before igniting into a raging flame minutes later.

Cook with caution

Cooking should never be left unattended. Additionally, keep flammable things such as drapes, dish towels, or loose-fitting clothes away from cooking areas. To minimize unintentional spills of hot oil or boiling water, turn the handles of pots and pans inside on the stove so youngsters can't knock or grasp them. If cooking oil in a pan catches fire, quickly cover the pan with a lid. You should never, ever throw water on a grease fire. This will cause the fire to spread and splatter.

Room for space heaters

Space heaters, whether electric, kerosene, or another fuel, need space. They should be at least three feet away from anything that may catch fire. Keep children and pets away from heaters at all times, and never leave them alone while you leave the house.

Children, matches, and lighters don't combine

Fire is typically a source of fascination for children. Teach your children that matches and lighters are tools, not toys, and that they should never be played with and should only be used by adults. All matches and lighters should be kept out of sight and reach of youngsters. Because children are naturally inquisitive, don't be afraid to look beneath your children's beds, in closets, and other areas in their rooms where they may have hidden matches or lighters.

Make use of electricity. carefully

Replace appliance cables that are damaged or frayed as soon as possible. If an appliance sparks, stinks, or smokes, immediately unplug it and get it serviced or replaced. The inappropriate usage of extension cables is a major cause of electrical fires. Never run extension wires beneath carpets, and never overload a circuit with an extension cord. Circuit breakers and fuse boxes should only be serviced by a certified specialist. If a fuse has to be changed, only use the correct sized fuse for that circuit.

Stay low in the smoke

Stay near to the floor if you need to escape a fire. The air near the floor is cleaner because smoke and poisonous pollutants ascend.

Drop, stop, and roll

DO NOT RUN if your clothes catches fire! Running provides additional oxygen to the flames, causing them to spread faster. Instead, come to a complete stop, collapse to the floor or ground, cover your face with your hands, and roll about until the flames are extinguished. If you come across someone whose clothes is on fire, wrap them in a blanket, rug, or coat and roll them on the ground.

Taking care of a burn

Running cold water over the burn for 10 to 15 minutes is the best rapid therapy for mild burns. This will alleviate the burn. Never apply ice to a burn. Using ice on a burn may cause skin damage and possibly mild frostbite. And, contrary to what your grandma may have taught you, never put butter or oil on a burn. It will prevent air from getting to the burn. Seek medical assistance right once if your skin has been damaged seriously enough to develop blisters or charring. Severe burns are quickly infected.

Preventing fires, as well as fire-related injuries and deaths, is not a question of chance. It needs forethought. Every family should have a home safety checklist, smoke detectors, an escape plan, and a monthly safety assessment. Make fire safety a top concern for your family, home, and assets. It might be the difference between life and death.