ADT’s fire prevention tips
Fire is one of the greatest threats to your family and home. It has the potential to wipe out everything in its path in just minutes, so not only do you need to be alerted quickly, you need to respond quickly too.
Listed below is some practical advice that will help to keep your family and home safe from fire. Follow these precautions and you’ll minimise its risks.
Take care with electrics
Over 6,000 fires a year are caused by faulty electrics. Don’t plug an extension cable into another extension cable or overload a plug socket – and never run cables under carpets. They can get damaged, short, spark and set fire to the carpet.
When replacing fuses, always use the correct rating. When changing bulbs, never exceed the recommended wattage. Higher wattage bulbs may give off more heat than can be sustained by the lamp shade, so it could char, smoulder and create open flames.
Be careful in the kitchen
Over half of house fires are caused by accidents in the kitchen. Take away any risk of fires from appliances by unplugging them when they’re not in use – and take extra care when cooking. Don’t leave hot fats and oils unattended, and make sure saucepan handles don’t stick out so they don’t get knocked off the surface.
Also, don’t exceed the recommended cooking of food with high starch and/or sugar content when heating up in a microwave.
Think of the children
Be aware of what children have access to. Don’t allow them near cookers, matches or leave them alone with open fires. Also keep them away from cleaning fluids and/or chemicals in the home. These can be dangerous to children and a fire risk, so never store more than you need, particularly flammable chemicals.
Paints and thinners should also be stored in metal containers and flammable items should never be stored under stairs.
Stay smart with open fires
Open fires in homes are common, so it’s important to use them in a safe manner. Have a spark-proof guard in front of all open fires and never place wet washing in front of or on fires or heaters. You may think this will dry your clothes quicker, but it’ll also increase the risk of an unwanted fire in your home.
Know how to handle a fire
Fire prevention is important, but so is knowing how to handle a fire if it occurs. Make sure your household has a fire escape plan, which includes preventative tips such as closing all internal doors to limit fires from spreading, especially at night.
Never leaving lit candles unattended, and always put them out before you go to bed.
You should have a fire blanket and fire extinguisher in your home. It’s vital that you know how to use them.
Smoke alarms save lives
Check your smoke detectors regularly, as these can alert you to danger sooner. Surprisingly, one in three smoke alarms fail to work due to missing or non-working batteries – so make sure you’re not part of this statistic.
It’s important to understand the above points and put them into action in your home. Everyone in your household should be aware of how to prevent fires – and also what should happen in the case of a fire.
