Top 10 Fire Safety Tips
With Winter here, more of us are turning up that heating in the UK’s chilliest season. For those of us lucky enough to have a fireplace, that means taking a few extra precautions to prevent the possibility of a fire in the home. Here are a few pointers for both homeowners with fireplaces and homeowners without fireplaces to enjoy a safe, warm and happy holiday season.
How is your smoke alarm working?
A fire-free home is best protected by an effective, functional smoke alarm. A smoke alarm with a worn battery, however, is useless – check your smoke alarm battery every month to ensure your home and family are sufficiently protected. If your home is not equipped with smoke alarms, you are at an unnecessary risk. There are affordable solutions out there.
Develop a fire evacuation plan
– Every home and business in the UK should have a fire evacuation plan known to residents and employees. A good evacuation plan means little if it is not an instinctive path for occupants to follow. Practice exit strategies regularly so that everyone knows how to respond to a fire that begins anywhere in the building. Remember to encourage occupants to treat every fire drill with severity, and as if it’s real.
Check the chimney
– If you have a fireplace, be sure to have the chimney checked at least once a year. A good chimney sweep is an asset when it comes to fire prevention – a dirty or blocked chimney instantly becomes a fire hazard.
Where are the matches?
– Children are drawn to all sorts of items around the house, including matches. But most do not know how to use them safely. You can protect your home from fire by keeping matches out of reach of children – put matches in a safe place and keep them hidden from infants. It is important to educate your children about the dangers of fire and matches before letting them handle lighting equipment.
Pay attention to the kitchen
– Did you know that 59% of home fires start in the kitchen? By all accounts, the kitchen can be a hazardous part of the house or building. Make sure your appliances are switched off when unattended to and keep children away from fire-bearing appliances at all times.
Smoking Discipline
– If you or your guests must smoke, practice proper safety methods – never smoke in bed and extinguish matches when lighting up. You should also always extinguish cigarettes, pipes and cigars when you have finished smoking, and regularly empty out ashtrays. Always use an ashtray designed for hosting smoking products.
Extinguish candles
– Winter is a great time to enjoy candles. Candlelit dinners, wine by a fire, or just using candles to keep energy consumption down is part of the seasonal charm. But, candles can be dangerous. Always put out all lit candles before going to bed for the evening. Candles that are left burning can turn your romantic evening into a disaster.
Watch that deep fryer
– If you are heating oil to deep fry in a fryer, use extreme caution because it can cause fire due to its intense heat. Make sure you empty the oil into an approved and fireproof container when done do not pour it down the sink or into the rubbish bin. Also, check the deep fryer thermostat and make sure it is in the off position when done. Better yet, disconnect your electric frying equipment.
Barbecue discipline in Winter too
– It may be Winter, but many of us like that barbecue taste all year round. If you barbecue with gas or charcoal, use the same shutdown discipline you would use during the outdoor months. Close your grille down after use. Shut the gas off, turn the burners off, and after airing – close the cover of your grille.
Where are your clothes?
– Your radiators can cause fires. Keep your clothes, linens and paperwork away from the heating appliances, including radiators and electric heaters.
Winter is a great season to be social and interact with family and friends. But with the weather challenges in the UK, a little extra diligence about fire safety can keep you, your friends and family and home safe for the season.
Broadsword Security install new fire alarms and maintain existing ones in your residential or commercial property – to maximise detection of fires and your personal safety. For more information call Broadsword today on 01608 641670 or contact us directly online.