The chances are that you have seen plenty of notices in your place of work detailing the dangers of fire and the protocol to follow should a fire break out. And yet, when it comes to our homes, very few of us actually consciously consider fire safety.
House fires kill hundreds of people every year and almost every single case could have been prevented. Many people are under the mistaken impression that fires only kill people if they break out during the night, and that they will be easily able to escape a burning home should a fire break out in the day. However, in reality the speed with which fire can spread means that even in the day it may be almost impossible for people to get out safely, in time.
The first thing to do when it comes to considering fire safety is to ensure you have working fire alarms on every floor of your home. The key work here is ‘working’ as almost half of all house fires that result in death occur in homes that have fire alarms. However, many people do not replace them if they become faulty and often simply don’t even replace batteries when they need replacing. Test your alarms every week to ensure they still work.
Fire extinguishers are also a very good idea as small fires can easily be tackled with them meaning not only a rise in safety but also a reduction in the chances of serious damage to your home. Ensuring you have different types of fire extinguishers for different types of fire is also important.
Make sure you have an idea of an escape route. It may seem like fantasy to imagine yourself escaping intruders or fire, but planning ahead is likely to ensure you simply know what to do if a fire does break out.
And finally, take care. Whether with cigarettes, cooking or even with your electrical sockets, the more careful you are, the less likely you will be to have to worry about fire in the first place.