Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Steps To Fire-Safe Home

By Dennis Nightgard


There are certain things that are unpleasant to think about. People don't want to dwell on negative things, and that's perfectly reasonable. But sometimes, it's necessary to give proper thought to potentially disastrous scenarios in order to prevent them from becoming real. Fire safety is often one such issue. A normal person doesn't want to picture their home burning down, or their family getting hurt. But sadly, some people don't put enough thought into fire safety until it's too late. A reasonable amount of planning could prevent disaster in the future.

It's highly unfortunate that thousands of people pass away every year due to fires or complications of fire, especially when proper fire safety planning a precautions could have prevented them. This often means planning an escape route that the entire family will learn and having the necessary items in place. As a way to get started, you can look at the interior of each room of your home, especially the rooms where your family spends the most time, and identify a path through the furniture and obstacles. Once you have a course decided, make sure to keep the path unobstructed. Have every family member memorize the route and practice it. If your home has more than level, make sure that you have a safe, alternate route to ground level, in case the stairs become inaccessible. You might want to keep rope ladders nearby to the main upper-level windows.

The safety of your family should be the top priority, of course, but you don't want to lose your home and everything in if you don't have to. To help with that, you might want to make notes of the fire prevention systems already in place. Fire alarms in each main area are a must, but there are other systems that can be installed to help stop a fire before it gets out of hand. A sprinkler system that can detect and snuff out fires is actually relatively inexpensive to have retrofitted into most homes. Many news homes are built with them, or at least have the option.

One of the most important fire-safety measures to have in your home is a reliable fire extinguisher. If small blazes ignite, they can be quickly snuffed out without much collateral damage. At least one unit on each floor is recommended, placed where it can be accessed quickly in an emergency. Many people like to have them in or near the kitchen, in the case of a cooking accident igniting a small blaze.

But an option that's better than fighting or escaping from a fire is to prevent one from starting in the first place. Many house fires stem from accidents involving candles. If you decide to have candles lit in your home, be sure that they're placed where they won't be knocked over easily and that the wick is cut to the proper length before it's lit.

Finally, make sure that combustible materials and chemicals are placed where they won't be near ignition sources. Also, be sure to check the containers for leaks, and make sure the chemicals are stored at the proper temperatures.

While it's not always easy to take proper fire safety measures, you will never regret the extra security it brings to you and your family.




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