Fire safety should be at the top
of your priority list if you want to protect your family in
the event of an emergency. Here's some advice on keeping
your home and family safe and sound:
 Prevention is the best method of fire protection.
In residences, most fires break out when family members are
cooking and using various heating appliances. Common sense
rules here – don't leave food unattended (either on the
stove or in the oven) and don't wear long, loose-fitting
clothing when cooking.
 For the smokers out there, realize that most fire
deaths are a result of a smoking-related blaze. Smoking is
the second leading cause of residential fires. Smokers must
refrain from smoking in bed and should never leave
cigarettes burning in a room. Never dump the smoldering
contents of an ashtray into the trash and don't smoke near
upholstery.
 Protect your children from potential fire hazards.
Store matches, lighters, and flammable substances in safe
places, out of children's reach, and never leave burning
candles unattended.
 Smoke alarms are the most effective method of
alerting you to a fire. In fact, they decrease the risk of
death by 40-50%. Install one smoke alarm per bedroom and one
on each floor of the house (this includes the basement).
Lithium-powered batteries are ideal because this type of
battery can last up to 10 years. Installing smoke alarms
with hush buttons is also a good idea, as this makes it
easier to deal with the alarm when it goes off due to excess
steam or oven smoke in the house.
 Not everyone has lithium battery smoke alarms, so
for devices that take regular batteries, ensure that you
change them once a year. Remember to make the change by
doing it every year in the autumn when you change the clocks
back one hour. Also test the alarms once a month to see that
they are continuing to work properly.
 Keep a good fire extinguisher in the house at all
times, and make sure everyone knows how to use it properly.
 Discuss a family fire escape plan with your whole
family and review it every six months. Your plan should
include at least 2 ways of escaping every room in the house
in the event of a fire inside your home. Also, assign a
meeting place in front of the house or apartment building
where everyone is to meet in case of a fire emergency. |
