Winter months are actually the riskiest as far as home fires are concerned. There is an increased use of alternative heating (from space heaters to fire places), more people cook at home during the holidays, and smokers are inside instead of out in the yard.
Out of the hundreds of useful fire safety tips that can never be repeated enough, here are just a few to help. Keep in mind though that though this article focuses slightly on the winter months, that fire is a year-round threat that should always be taken seriously. This is one area in which an ounce of prevention is worth a TON of cure!
Here are three key areas that need some attention: Prevention, Early Detection, and Rapid Reaction.
Prevention:
1. Never leave cooking unattended, and when you do cook, keep a few items close by such as a lid for any open pans, a box of baking soda to douse small flames that may erupt, and keep your fire extinguisher in an area where you do NOT have to go toward potential fire areas (such as the stove) to access it.
2. Also when cooking, set an audible timer to alert you as to when items might need attention. Most cooking fires occur when people fall asleep with something on the stove or when they “forgot” and left a burner on.
3. Use “light timers” to set a specific use time period for your electric space heaters. “Light timers” can be found at almost any store and are used to turn lights on and off for security purposes when you’re not home.
4. Don’t overload your electrical outlets with space heaters and try not to plug heaters into outlets that are behind curtains or other flammable materials.
Early Detection:
1. Smoke detectors are too inexpensive to not have several. So keep an extra in your winter gear to bring out during the winter months. With smoke detectors, it really is “the more the merrier.”
2. To help hear distant smoke detectors, get an inexpensive “baby monitor” and put the transmitter near the detector and the receiver in your bedroom so you can hear the alarm if you’re asleep.
3. Make sure you know your neighbors and that they have your phone number. It might be a neighbor that sees smoke coming from your house.
Rapid Reaction:
1. Some of the more devastating home fires are in apartment complexes because “homes” are attached to each other. If you live in an apartment and are aware of a fire, the first thing you should do (while calling 911) is to alert your neighbors.
2. Practice home fire drills and use the news as a signal to rehearse. Every time you see a house fire on the news, have your family practice your drill. Include your pets in your planning.
3. Have more than one way out. Many deaths occur when people become trapped in a house. Your natural escape route is out the door, but sometimes it has to be the window. If you live on the second or third floor, a fire escape ladder is an inexpensive investment and a potential life saver.
About the author: Paul Purcell is a security analyst and preparedness consultant with over 20 years risk management experience. He is also the author of “Disaster Prep 101″. More on Paul’s background can be found at www.disasterprep101.com/author.htm.
