There are half a million house fires every year. House fires can threaten not just the home, but the very lives of the people in it. Fires spread quickly. Within 30 seconds, a small fire could become a large one, within two minutes, a house could be engulfed by fire and thick black smoke. Risks come from many sources. While it may be difficult to prevent your home from suffering things like wildfires, there are household activities that can cause fires and where we can act to prevent house fires. You don’t want to be fighting a fire, because most times, you’ll lose. What you need to do is ensure that you observe home safety standards to prevent fires.
Install a Smoke Alarm
According to the Red Cross, smoke alarms can double the chances of surviving a fire. You need to install several smoke alarms around the house. Test them once a month and change the batteries every 6 months. You may not be able to replace the batteries: many are 10-year tamper resistant and do not use replaceable batteries.
You should also buy a fire extinguisher to deal with any small fires that arise. You should also have an Inert Gas Suppression unit to suppress fires, especially electrical ones.
Prevent Cooking Accidents
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says that the most common causes of house fires are cooking, heating, electrical, smoking and candles.
Cooking accidents are responsible for nearly half of house fires and especially prevalent those recovering from back injury after a car accident. If you’re just visited a car accident chiropractor this is something you must be aware of. Most cooking fires occur on stovetops, rather than in ovens. It’s important to stay in your kitchen when you’re using your stove top to cook, fry or grill. When you’re cooking, make sure that there are no curtains, or towel racks, or paper towel dispensers near the stove. If you are using a microwave, remove any clutter around it and make sure the vents are free.
If there’s a grease fire, don’t bother with water, use a fire extinguisher. If you don’t have a fire extinguisher, cover it with a lid if it’s in a pan, to starve the fire of oxygen.
Prevent Fires from Portable and Space Heaters
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, space fires cause over 1,700 fires a year., killing 80 people and resulting in 160 deaths. A fifth of house fire deaths and injuries occur between December and February.
Make sure you read the instructions before you use a heater. When you buy a space heater, you should get one that is the right size for the room it will be used in. Too big a space heater, and it becomes dangerous. Ensure that any combustible materials are kept far at least 3 feet away from the heater.
Prevent Electrical Fires
Electrical fires are usually the result of short circuits and loose connections. It’s important to check your electrical appliances and outlets frequently. You want to avoid plugging in more than one appliance per outlet.
Although it may not be pretty, you should not have extension cords running under your rugs.
When you’re not using an electrical appliance, unplug them, if possible. Finally, for appliances like computers and TVs, you should place them far from flammable objects given that they tend to overheat.
