Fire Prevention
Nov 13
Posted: under about.
Tags: chemicals, evacuation plan, Fire extinguisher, flammable liquids, overload, smoke alarm
Are your home fire safe?
I want to ask you only one question. Is your home safe if a fire should break out? I don’t think so… Ask yourself these questions and if you answer is a negative reply to one of them then your home is NOT fire safe.
- Do I have a fire extinguisher?
- Do I have a evacuation plan?
- Do I know the local fire department’s emergency number?
- Are my electrical wall sockets overloaded?
- Do my family know what to do in a emergency situation?
- Do I have a smoke alarm in my house?
- Do I keep different chemicals in my house or garage?
I thought so… I will give a few tips how you can make your house more fire safe.
- Have a evacuation plan and practice it. Due to the high crime rate, we all try to make our homes as save as possible. To keep the criminals out we make it very difficult even impossible to get out of our own homes in a emergency situation. It is very important to draw up a evacuation plan and implement it a.s.a.p. Practice this plan on a regular basis. This will help you and your family to exit the home quickly and safely. Contact your local fire department for help to draw up a evacuation plan if you don’t know how. At a later stage I will give more information on how to move out of your house.
- Buy a fire extinguisher. A 4.5kg DCP extinguisher will do in a normal house. DCP extinguisher is suitable for Class A, B ans C fires. Make sure the extinguisher is serviced once a year.
- Put emergency numbers next to your telephone. Get the emergency numbers for SAPS, Ambulance and the Fire Department and put it next to your telephone, emergency numbers on your cellphone for easy access (create a system for easy access). Make sure everybody in the house know the numbers and teach children that it is a crime to make false calls.
- Don’t overload wall sockets. I don’t think there is much to say on this topic.
- Get a smoke alarm. Install a smoke alarm in a room nearest to the kitchen and in the passage near the bedrooms. If possible install one in each room of the house.
- If you keep different types of chemicals and flammable liquids in the same place. make sure that these chemicals are stored away from each other, these chemicals may cause a reaction if they do get in contact of each other. Also keep these chemicals and flammable liquids away from the work station ( drill machine, grinder etc).
- Have flashlights ready. If possible have flashlights in each bedroom and make sure it is in working condition (a whistle in each room could also be used to alert other occupants). Most fires occur during night time. It will help you to find your way through the house, even during day time it is almost impossible to see, when a room is filled with smoke.
- Keep lighters, matches etc. away from children. Teach your children that it is dangerous to play with these items by explaining to them what could happen, is better than just to tell them it is dangerous.
- When reporting a emergency. Stay calm, answer all the questions the control room attendant asks you. The questions that they ask is vital to the emergensy services. At night it is difficult to locate houses, stand outside in the street if possible to direct the responders towards the scene. Install your house number that will be visible from the street (illuminated if possible).
- What to do if there is a fire in your house.
- KEEP CALM!!!!!
- Try to put the fire out if it is a small fire using a extinguisher, you can also use water if the fire is not electrical or chemical. If the fire is out of control get out.
- If the fire is big or out of control leave the house immediately. Call the Fire Department from your cell phone or from a neighbor’s phone as soon as you and your family are safe.
- If your clothes catch fire DO NOT run. This could cause the fire to spread more rapidly. Stop, Drop and Roll, meaning to stop and drop to the ground and by protecting your face with your hands roll on the ground till the fire is extinguished.
- When you detect smoke in your house cover your mouth and nose with a damp cloth, go on your knees and stay as close to the floor as possible, the smoke will be less at the floor. Smoke is very dangerous and difficult to see trough and breath. Using the left-hand or right-hand rule to get out as fast and safely as possible. The left-hand-right-hand rule? What is this you will ask. Very easy to explain, crawl on your hand and knees to the nearest wall, put your shoulder against the wall and move to the door, by moving away from the fire you will be able to exit the house keeping your left or right shoulder to the wall. If more than one person is in the house make sure that they follow you by crawling behind each other placing one hand on the person’s leg that is in front of you. Try not to move too far away from the wall when moving around obstacles (furniture).
- If the door of a room is closed don’t open it before you are sure that the fire is not on the other side of the door, use the back of your hand to feel for heat, if the door knob is hot then you know that the fire is on the other side, move away from the door and try to escape from the window if not possible use wet towels, curtains or any other material to seal of the door to prevent smoke coming in, phone the fire department. Tell the operator that you are trapped and where you are. Put a light colored cloth on the outside of the window to direct the fire fighters to the room where you are trapped.
- If oil or grease is the cause of a fire in the kitchen use salt or baking soda if you don’t own a fire extinguisher. Do not use baking powder or cake flower. Toss it over the flames to extinguish the fire, if it is safe put a lit on the pot or pan or use a wet cloth to cover.
For more information contact your local Fire Department.
