Fires are a kind of emergency situation that must always be taken seriously, whether it’s in a large public venue, house and lot for sale, or condo for sale. When it comes to fires, there is a concept called the Fire Triangle which shows that the ignition of fire is created when three components – oxygen, fuel, and heat – are present in the same area at significant levels.
Using this information, we can infer that by reducing and isolating any sources of heat and fuel in our house, we can prevent a fire from happening. There are many specific examples of home fire safety tips that show how a fire can be prevented in your house, and this blog will contribute to enumerating several of them since March is Fire Prevention Month as announced by the National Fire Protection Association.
Have smoke alarms installed in your house
Having smoke alarms placed on every floor of your house, especially within bedrooms. Having a working smoke alarm installed will be able to quickly alert you in the event that a fire could possibly get worse, giving you a head start to act quickly before any damages are done. Make sure to test smoke alarms when you install smoke alarms so that they work when they are needed.
Have a planned escape route ready
In order to ensure better safety for not just yourself but for the people that live in your house as well, it is important to have a fire escape plan to follow in the event of home fires. Plan out different ways of getting out of the rooms in your house and lot for sale or condo for sale with the goal of escaping to the outside of your house. Coordinate with your family members on how the younger members of the household can be guided to safety with a home fire escape plan, and what the meet-up plan is once everybody is out of the house. Practice a home fire drill at least once a year to make sure that your family members will know what to do.
Maintain the tidiness of your rooms
Having rooms that are cluttered and messy can prove to be hazards, like potential fire hazards, in the event of an emergency. Therefore, it is important to keep hallways and stairways free of any obstacles or trash that could impede the passage of any member of the household.
When the pathway between rooms in your house and lot for sale or condo for sale has adequate space, it increases the likelihood of a safe evacuation in fire incidents. Organizing the rooms in your house lets you store flammable substances in properly stored places to prevent them from becoming fire hazards.
Do not misuse your electrical outlets and appliances
Electrical appliances and outlets can cause fires if mishandled. This includes plugging in too many devices into electrical outlets to the extent that they overheat and cause a fire to start because of overloading the outlets in question. Hence, make sure that appliances or devices that are not currently being used should be unplugged to prevent electrical overloading.
Moreover, it is important to check if there are any damages to the wires of electrical devices and appliances. If a burning smell is coming from an appliance, it is possibly damaged and should be unplugged.
Never smoke inside your house
Smoking inside your house is a fire risk that is not worth taking. This applies most especially to smoking in your bedroom since your bed and linens can catch fire. Designated smoking areas outside of your house and suited for such an activity. Make sure that used cigarettes are properly thrown away in order to prevent any more fire hazards.
Have a usable fire extinguisher ready in your home
When a fire has started, it is not recommended for the fire to be put out with water since this could worsen the situation and aggravate any fire hazard coming from electrical sources in your house. Hence, it is crucial to have a fire extinguisher in your house that you have learned how to use in order to prevent a fire from spreading to a dangerous scale.
Make sure that the fire extinguisher has the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) and Philippine Standard (PS) License marks so that the fire extinguisher is of an acceptable standard to fulfill its purpose. Have a few fire extinguishers that meet this standard to be prepared when fire accidents happen.
Observe proper use and maintenance of your kitchen
The kitchen, if misused, can end up causing a fire. Hence, it is important to always monitor your gas stove when cooking, as well as make sure that none of your oven mitts, towels, aprons, or clothes catch fire. In the event that the grease in your pan catches fire, you have to put a lid over the pan to put out the fire, after which you should turn off whatever heat source you are using, like a gas stove, for example.
Remove heaters from cramped spaces
Portable or space heaters are advised to be kept at a significant distance from any material that could burn. Hence, remove any heaters that are in cramped spaces to prevent any unwanted fire hazards in your rooms. It is important to turn off your heaters for when you sleep or leave your house to go outside.
Be cautious around any possible fire hazard in your house
Many things in your house can be a fire hazard if you are careless with how you use your electrical outlets and appliances and your sources of burning heat. Therefore, build the habit of unplugging anything electrical that is not being used at present.
Moreover, keep away any materials that could catch fire from fire sources. Examples of these materials include wooden cutlery, clothes, bedroom clothes, and the like.
In a fire, stay low under the smoke
If ever a fire occurs, it is vital to stay very low to the point wherein you have to crawl under the smoke being emitted by the fire. This is to prevent inhaling any toxic chemicals in the fire’s smoke, as well as make sure you are able to navigate your surroundings clearly by avoiding the black smoke to block your eyes.
Properly cool a burn on the skin
If ever your skin sustains a burn from a fire, do not apply ice or any grease or butter. Run the burn over cool water only for 10 to 15 minutes. If you observe that your skin is charred or blistered, seek medical attention immediately once you have escaped from the area that is on fire.
Be cautious with using burning light sources
In the event of a brownout or power outage, some people may utilize the use of burning candles as a light source, especially during the nighttime. When using burning candles, make sure that the container or holder keeping the candles in place is stable enough to prevent the candle from tipping over. A fallen burning candle getting in contact with a fire hazard is dangerous.
Read more: Fire Safety and Prevention: What to Do in the Event of a Fire
