Fires in the home can happen unexpectedly. While we are aware of the deadly consequences of the fire, do we actually know how to prevent it? Are we prepared to handle fire if we find ourselves amid an emergency? If your answer is ‘No’ or you are not sure, here are some fire safety tips for you, specially curated by our team of safety experts.
Although fire is one of the major causes of death worldwide and requires just a single moment of carelessness to burn everything down, people still don’t understand the importance of fire preparedness. And when they do, it is often too late. The majority of people become complacent and get into the mentality of “this can’t happen to us.” This puts them in danger and upends their lives. With this in mind, we have listed some of the fire safety tips along with vital information that you must be aware of to prevent home fires. And when it happens, these tips will help you get out safely.
Practical Fire Safety Tips To Stay Protected
There are several precautions that you can take to minimize the risk of fire injuries. Among all, these are the six best fire safety tips that our experts ask you to keep in mind to ensure your safety.
1. Never Leave Burning Candles Behind
While candles are beautiful and produce a nice scent in the home, they are one of the leading causes of fire outbreaks in residential spaces. This makes it crucial to stay careful with burning candles. For your safety, make sure you use a sturdy holder, burn it on a flat surface, and extinguish it before you leave. Make sure you keep this fire safety tip in mind and never leave a candle unattended.
2. Draw Up An Actionable Fire Plan Ready
Next on the list of fire safety tips, we have another common measure that you will get to hear often. A fire evacuation plan is a backup escape method that will help you and your loved ones to get out safely. So make sure you follow this proactive step and draw an escape plan. Once you are done, discuss the exit routes with your family and practice it a couple of times.
3. Have At Least One Fire Extinguisher At Your Place
While there are multiple fire safety tools that you can install to prevent your place from burning down, a fire extinguisher is the most important. Having it by your side will help you handle the situation and extinguish the fire. This is why it is highly recommended to have at least one extinguisher at your place. However, just having it is not enough; make sure you learn and teach your family members to use it in case of an emergency.
4. Keep A Check On Smoke Alarms And Their Functioning
This is one of the fire safety tips that you might be aware of but often overlook. As much as installing the smoke alarms and other safety tools is essential, so is their regular maintenance. Ideally, it is important to test the devices once a month and ensure their proper functioning. You must also replace their batteries every two years, even if they weren’t used.
5. Be Mindful While Smoking
Smoking is among the most common causes of house fires. Forty percent of the total fire cases are due to smoking in the bedroom. Hence, this is one of the most crucial fire safety tips that you can’t ignore. You should never smoke indoors on the bed or blanket. It is always a good idea to move out to the balcony or backyard. Also, once you are done smoking, make sure there are no smoldering embers in the ashtray and keep it away from combustible materials.
6. Carefully Store Flammable And Combustible Liquids
Several liquids like gasoline, cleaning agents, adhesives, etc., are highly flammable, and hence, they are required to be stored with utmost care. Ensure you store them in approved safety containers and away from the heat sources. They should be kept outside the home in a cool, ventilated area.
Essential Fire Safety Products You Should Have At Home
Multiple fire safety tools are designed to deal with different classes of fire. Equipping your home with these tools will help you prevent the fire from getting out of hand. So, take a look and get yourself these necessary fire equipment.
- Fire Extinguishers: Fire extinguishers are one of the most critical tools to bring down the fire. They help combat the flame before it spreads all across and becomes difficult to control. An extinguisher contains water, dry powder, wet chemicals, foam, and CO2.
- Home Fire Sprinkler Systems: It is another essential tool that can help in significantly preventing the flames from getting into your home. Although this security system is not designed to control the fire, it helps detect on time so that you can fight the flames immediately.
- Smoke Alarms: Smoke alarms are among the most common tools people use to bring down the risk of mishaps in a fire. They complement the alarm’s work and reduce the chances of deadly fire or smoke. An alarm can detect both flaming fires and smolder for better protection.
- Fire Blankets: A fire blanket is a safety tool used to stifle the fire before it turns huge and uncontrollable. They are majorly used to douse the fire fueled by cooking fats and oils. This is why they are mostly kept in a kitchen environment.
- First Aid Kits: While this might not be the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about a fire breakout, it plays a crucial role in the aftermath of a fire. Having a first aid kit by your side will help you treat minor injuries on your own during the fire.
- A Fire Escape Ladder: If you are staying in a place with more than one level, you must get your hands on an escape ladder. It is a tool that will assist you to escape quickly and safely from the window before the smoke engulfs the entire home.
What To Do In Case Fire Breaks Out?
While the aforementioned fire safety tips will reduce the risk of a fire breakout, they won’t guarantee complete elimination. This makes it essential to learn the right way to handle the situation. Here are some steps that help you dive deeper into what you should do in case of an emergency.
Step 1: Stay Calm And Low
All you need to do is stay calm. While it is hard to stay calm with heat and smoke detectors blaring, try not to panic and focus on steps that you need to follow to survive. Also, try to stay as low as possible so that you can protect yourself from dangerous flames and smoke fumes. It will help you to breathe easier.
Step 2: Try To Extinguish The Fire If You Can
As soon as you realize there is fire, yell to inform everyone around you about the situation and figure out how to put the blaze out yourself. If it is possible to extinguish the fire, go with your gut and attempt to put it down. This will work only if the flames are not too huge.
Step 3: Get Yourself And Others Out
In situations where you have just a little time to come out of the fire, focus on people and pets rather than materialistic things. Make way for yourself and your loved ones and get out of the burning place. If there’s enough time, then you can pick up the valuables. However, always remember that lives are more precious than personal belongings.
Step 4: Call Local Emergency Or Fire Department
Once you and your family are out, don’t try to go back inside; instead, call for professional help. Learn and make others learn the local emergency or fire department number and dial it as soon as you come out.
These are the basic steps you need to follow to handle the burning flames and get out of the situation. Once the fire is under control, you can move further by getting a fire report, contacting the insurance, and more.
Bottom Line: Stay Prepared, Stay Protected!
These are some of the fire safety tips that we have for you. Since there’s always little time to think or respond in case of a fire breakout, it is critical to educate everyone near you about fire prevention before you encounter it in a real-life situation. And to educate, these tips will come in great help. If you adopt these actions into your life, you can keep yourself and your family safe and reduce fire risk to a minimum. So, pin this article and share it with all your friends to keep them safe too.
If this article interests you, make sure you look at the other articles on House Of Expert Advice. You will get multiple articles to help you enhance your safety and protect you from unwanted situations like fire or burglary.
