Fire Safety, Are You Prepared?
Many times we get lulled into a false sense of security that fires happen to other people and not ourselves, that house fires happen only if you live near a forest fire area, or that fires only happen to stupid people. The truth is that fires can happen to anyone. Whether it’s from lightning, faulty wiring, children playing with matches, space heaters or smokers, it can happen to anyone, including you.
Being prepared for, and having early warning systems in place can make the difference between getting everyone out alive or not.
First things first. Realizing fire hazards can greatly reduce a house fire happening to you. Space heaters should not be near anything, outlets should not be overloaded and children in the house should be taught that fire is not a toy. As children don’t always do what we teach them, keeping matches and lighters out of reach is also helpful.
Now for early alerts. You should have smoke detectors in your home. The number you should have will depend on the size of your house. Just because you have smoke detectors, doesn’t mean that they’re in working order. Many are taken apart because of the annoying beeping sound they make sometime, but that annoying beeping sound means that it needs new batteries… replacing them is always the safer option.
Some homes even get a sprinkler system installed, which is getting cheaper and cheaper nowadays, plus you can get insurance discounts by having one.
It is also good to be aware that contrary to what many think, water does not always put out fires. With grease fires, water will actually help it spread and you will want to smother the fire to put it out. If it is not small enough for you to handle, better to just get out. You and your family’s lives are more important than your home.
Last, but certainly not least, you are going to want to have an escape plan, or even better two different ones as you will never know where the fire will start. Have a meeting place outside of your home so you can easily make sure that everyone is accounted for. Don’t go back inside, firemen are trained to go into burning buildings to rescue people, tell them and let them do their job.
Fires can happen to anyone, but being prepared makes a huge difference in the destruction that they can wreak.