Home Fire Safety

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.

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