Fire Prevention and Safety Guide at Home

Fire Prevention and Safety Guide at Home.

First of all, you must know what are FIRE SAFETY EQUIPMENT.

1. Smoke Detector

Smoke detectors are far and away from the number one lifesaver when it comes to fires in the home. In fact, two-thirds of all fire deaths occur in homes with either no working smoke detector. Mostly, deaths are the result of a smoke detector not functioning properly, most often due to issues with the battery whether there is no battery, having a dead battery, or the battery is not connected properly.

Smoke detectors seem like such a small part of your home and get all too easily overlooked, but they are the most crucial pieces to save your life. Make use of the following tips of fire prevention and safety guide at home that will drastically reduce the chances of a deadly fire in your home :

• Make sure smoke detectors are installed in every bedroom, and outside every sleeping area. Also be sure there is at least one smoke detector on every floor, including the basement.
• Test all of your smoke detectors monthly by hitting the “test” button. If the smoke detector does not give any sound, replace the battery and try again. If it still does not work, replace the entire smoke detector.
• Replace the batteries for all your smoke detectors once a year. If a smoke detector starts chirping with a low battery signal, replace it immediately.
• Replace the smoke detector itself every 10 years or when the “test” button fails.
• Do not remove the batteries when cooking. Cooking is the main cause of home fires, especially around the holidays. If the smoke detector goes off, the tendency can be to just disconnect it for the time being.

2. Escape Ladders

If your home has any higher than just a single story, you will want fire escape ladders on hand. Ladders for levels that are higher up come with a little more variations. Use the tips below as your fire prevention and safety guide at home to make certain you get ones that are right for your family :

• It is suggested to have one in every occupied room above the main floor. Store them next to likely escape windows, and be sure whoever occupies the room is able to use them thoroughly and efficiently. Have your kids test going down the ladder.
• If you have guest rooms, be sure to have ladders there as well, and inform guests of their existence.

3. Fire Extinguishers

Having fire extinguishers in your home and knowing how to use them is a crucial part of your home’s emergency plan. While it can be tempting to use a fire extinguisher for any fire in your home, you have to be aware of the fact that they should really only be used for fires that are very small and contained. The top priority is still the safety of everyone in the home, so if a room begins to rapidly fill with smoke, exit the house straightaway.

You should have at least one fire extinguisher on every level of your home. They should be placed in the rooms with the highest chances of a fire — the kitchen especially. While there are several classifications of fire extinguishers, the variety that is classified as “ABC” will be good for the majority of homeowners’ needs.

A simple fire extinguisher training technique to use with families and employees is the PASS method :

1. Pull the pin on the fire extinguisher
2. Aim the hose nozzle low toward the base of the fire
3. Squeeze the handle to release the extinguishing agent
4. Sweep the nozzle from side to side at the base of the flames until extinguished

4. Escape Plan

Should a fire happens in your home and the smoke detector is not functioning, you need to have a good escape plan as your fire prevention and safety guide at home. You may have as little as 30 seconds to get out of a burning house, so you cannot waste every second trying to figure out which way to go out of the house. Forty-two percent of houses do not have an escape plan, so if you do not have one, take the time tonight when all your family is together, and design a plan:

1. Get everyone in the house together. If you cannot do that, make sure the missing parties are trained on what you have discussed and reviewed.
2. Walk through every room and draw a plan as you go around your house.
3. Mark where fire extinguishers are and where smoke detectors are in your house escape plan.
4. Design with two ways to exit every single room.
5. Teach children how to get out on their own if they should. Have them trained using the escape ladders. Make sure you are supervising.
6. Design a meeting place outside your home, make sure it will be a safe spot.
7. Drill your escape plan twice a year, making it as practical as possible.
8. Place your house escape plan on the refrigerator as a handy reference.
9. Make sure to close doors on your way out of the home, it can slow the spread of fire.
10. Make sure that any windows in your house escape plan are easily open-able, normally the windows will get stuck if it do not get much use, so check the windows every time you drill you house escape plan.

Second, you must know FIRE HAZARDS

1. Cooking. By far the main reason for kitchen fires is simply unattended cooking.

• Never leave the kitchen unattended while cooking, especially when using oil or high temperatures.
• Be sure that all heating elements are turned off immediately after cooking is done.
• Keep flammable items like dish towels and loose clothing away from cooking areas.

2. Heating equipment.

• Keep any flammable material at least far away and make sure the heater is on an even and stable surface. Never leave heaters on overnight or when you leave the home.

3. Smoking accidents.

• Use a deep ashtray, and make sure it is always on a stable surface, away from combustible objects.
• Never smoke in a home.

4. Electrical equipment.

• Check all appliances/lighting for frayed or damaged cords. Unplug and replace immediately if found any.
• If you have frequent problems with an outlet or wiring, contact an electrician to handle the problem instead of letting it get bad.
• In lighting, use light bulbs that match the fixture’s recommended watts.
• Do not let extension cords under rugs, carpet, furniture, etc. Cords can get warm, and if they become worn, it will cause a hazard.

5. Candles.

• One-third of candle fires start in the bedroom. If you want to have a romantic evening, make sure that candles are on a stable surface and would not be knocked over.
• Keep candles at least a foot away from anything combustible, more than half of candle fires start because they came in contact with combustible material.
• Blow off all candles when leaving the room.
• Keep candles out of reach of children.

6. Accidents involving children. We have all been a kid, kids love to play with fire. Combine that with their high curiosity, consider the following tips to make sure your kids stay safe :

Keep anything combustible out of reach from kids. This includes lighters, matches, candles, etc.

• Mostly fire is caused by kids under 10 who play with matches and lighters. Most often, children know it is bad, so they will play in their rooms or closets. Be sure to always check on your kids (especially if doors are closed and they are being extra quiet), bring up any melted toys you may find or burned spots on clothing.
• The best thing you can do is to teach your children about fire and fire safety. Teach them the fire escape plan, how the sound of the smoke detectors, and even how to use fire extinguishers.

7. Flammable liquids. Do not store any flammable items near a heating source, but preferably outside the home in a cool, ventilated area.

Most of these tips are common sense, and yet when we have other things on our mind until forget of those essential precautions we are usually on top of them. You can never play it too safe with fire precautions.

Make sure you know what are the fire prevention and safety guide at home, and equipped with fire safety equipment and free of fire hazards. 

Get your fire equipment to protect your family, home and workplace from fires.

Call us at 03-78314791 or directly   WhatsApp us to have a chat with our Team Support.