The top causes of household fires are pretty well known, but few of us realize just how devastating a fire can be if it's not brought under control right away. There are easy things that you can do to make the chance of having a fire in your home much less likely.
A functional smoke detector: Confirm that it is doing it's job. You will know the batteries need to be replaced when you hear the detector beep. If the batteries are no longer working, the smoke detector will not be operational. Dead batteries sit inside the smoke detectors of an unthinkable amount of homes around the world. As a result, public information campaigns have been created to remind people to change smoke detector batteries regularly.
Kitchen: More fires begin in the kitchen than any other room in the home. Fires started in the home while cooking has one of the highest rates of deaths from fire in the residential environment. The majority of kitchen fires begin with cooking equipment. Most kitchen fires are preventable. When you cook, stay in the kitchen, particularly if you are using any amount of fat on the stove. Cover a grease fire with a lid or a fire extinguisher. Never use water, it will cause the grease to splash and the fire to spread. Be sure to not have sleeves or other parts of your clothing hanging over the burners on your stove top. And avoid storing items on or above your stove.
For the Barbecue: Don't leave a barbecue on and walk away, and make sure the kids don't get anywhere near the flames, and look out for animals near the barbecue. Never use wood, charcoal briquettes, barbecue starter fluid or gasoline in conjunction with your propane or natural gas barbecue. When someone makes a mistake like this, the damage to property can be great, but even worse is the danger to the lives and health of yourself and your family. Barbecue in an open outdoor space due to ventilation and safety reasons. Keep the barbecue at least 3 meters from windows and doors.
Heaters: Keep portable heaters at least a meter away from anything combustible. Do not use portable heaters to dry your clothes or for wet boots. If your heater is on, be sure that you switch it off when going to bed, or if you must leave your residence. To prevent dangers to children, they should not be anywhere near a heater.
Electrical appliances can pose danger: When you buy an appliance that is really inexpensive, the likelihood that it is made with less quality items increases. When there are many electrical appliances that use the same outlet, the chances of a fire increases dramatically. If fuses go off when you turn on certain appliances such as a microwave, have a professional electrician have a look at your wiring to ensure that it is safe.
Clothing Dryers: Lint is a serious risk for a fire, when it accumulates in the ducts of electric or gas dryers. Not cleaning the washer and dryer is one of the major causes of fires in these appliances. You can reduce the risk by regularly vacuuming both ends of the ducting and always emptying the lint catcher.
Proper care when using candles: Candles should be always be attended, never leave them burning if you leave the room, do not leave them near open windows, and nowhere near flammable objects.
A functional smoke detector: Confirm that it is doing it's job. You will know the batteries need to be replaced when you hear the detector beep. If the batteries are no longer working, the smoke detector will not be operational. Dead batteries sit inside the smoke detectors of an unthinkable amount of homes around the world. As a result, public information campaigns have been created to remind people to change smoke detector batteries regularly.
Kitchen: More fires begin in the kitchen than any other room in the home. Fires started in the home while cooking has one of the highest rates of deaths from fire in the residential environment. The majority of kitchen fires begin with cooking equipment. Most kitchen fires are preventable. When you cook, stay in the kitchen, particularly if you are using any amount of fat on the stove. Cover a grease fire with a lid or a fire extinguisher. Never use water, it will cause the grease to splash and the fire to spread. Be sure to not have sleeves or other parts of your clothing hanging over the burners on your stove top. And avoid storing items on or above your stove.
For the Barbecue: Don't leave a barbecue on and walk away, and make sure the kids don't get anywhere near the flames, and look out for animals near the barbecue. Never use wood, charcoal briquettes, barbecue starter fluid or gasoline in conjunction with your propane or natural gas barbecue. When someone makes a mistake like this, the damage to property can be great, but even worse is the danger to the lives and health of yourself and your family. Barbecue in an open outdoor space due to ventilation and safety reasons. Keep the barbecue at least 3 meters from windows and doors.
Heaters: Keep portable heaters at least a meter away from anything combustible. Do not use portable heaters to dry your clothes or for wet boots. If your heater is on, be sure that you switch it off when going to bed, or if you must leave your residence. To prevent dangers to children, they should not be anywhere near a heater.
Electrical appliances can pose danger: When you buy an appliance that is really inexpensive, the likelihood that it is made with less quality items increases. When there are many electrical appliances that use the same outlet, the chances of a fire increases dramatically. If fuses go off when you turn on certain appliances such as a microwave, have a professional electrician have a look at your wiring to ensure that it is safe.
Clothing Dryers: Lint is a serious risk for a fire, when it accumulates in the ducts of electric or gas dryers. Not cleaning the washer and dryer is one of the major causes of fires in these appliances. You can reduce the risk by regularly vacuuming both ends of the ducting and always emptying the lint catcher.
Proper care when using candles: Candles should be always be attended, never leave them burning if you leave the room, do not leave them near open windows, and nowhere near flammable objects.
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