An Everyday Guide to Fire Safety Procedures
Fire safety procedures go far beyond the old adage “Stop, drop, and roll.” It is important to understand how fires may be prevented, and not just how to handle them in the unfortunate situation that one occurs. For families with children, this is especially important. Use these simple procedures to ensure that your home and your family are well-educated and equipped in fire safety.
Fire Causes and Prevention
To better understand how to prevent fires, it is important to understand what causes them so measures can be taken to protect your loved ones.
One of the most common causes of house fires is cooking. When cooking, it is important to not leave the heating food unattended. If you’re playing the role of chef, make sure that your sleeves are rolled up, as it is quite easy to catch clothing on fire while cooking. Also, make sure that flammable objects such as cookbooks and dishtowels are at least 3 feet away from hot stove surfaces.
If grilling outdoors, make sure that the grill is at least 10 feet away from other objects, since sparks often pop out and can land on flammable surfaces if not careful. In addition to this, make sure that the kids and pets are playing a safe distance. Many times children and the family pet will be caught up in the excitement of their games and can inadvertently hit the grill, either knocking it over or sending a briquette flying.
Lighters and matches are another cause of house fires, but these can be easily avoided by locking any matches or lighters in cabinets or placing them out of children’s reach. Each year many children are badly burned and even die because they got a hold of these items without their parents knowing.
If your house has space heaters, furnaces, or a fireplace, extra precautions must be taken to ensure a safe environment for your family. It is very important to give space heaters and furnaces a lot of room. They exude large amounts of heat in close proximity, so keep flammable objects at least 3 feet from them at all times and be sure to turn them off at night. If you have a fireplace, always use a screen to prevent sparks from landing on carpeting and wood floors. In addition to this, make sure a service person inspects and cleans your fireplace and chimney each year to prevent a fire starting from carbon build-up.
Another leading cause of fires in the home is smoking. If you or members of your family smoke, do so outside. This one step will do wonders for preventing fires in the home. If this is not an option, make sure that only deep, thick ashtrays are used and that they are kept on sturdy surfaces, away from ceiling fan drafts. Ideally, “fire-safe” cigarettes should be smoked, if possible.
Protecting Your Family
Even if you follow ever one of the fire safety procedures it is possible that a fire will occur in your home. Because of this possibility, it is very important that you take certain steps to protecting your family in case this possibility becomes a reality.
First, make sure that you have smoke detectors in place on every floor of your house, and preferably in or near each bedroom. It is also important to test the smoke detector every month and change the batteries yearly to ensure that they are working at prime capacity.
It is also highly recommended that a fire extinguisher be kept on each floor of your home, and in the garage as well. Make sure that each of your family members knows how to use it if necessary, and make it clear to your children that these are not toys. It is often tempting for younger children to pretend that they are firefighters.
If you have children, make sure that your family constructs a fire evacuation plan. Teach your children not to open door handles that are hot. Show them how to escape through their windows if they are trapped in their bedroom. If they are not trapped, show them the quickest route to the safest exits in your house. Test them on this frequently. The stress of an actual fire causes panic in many people, particularly children. Fire drills are a great way to ensure that your kids know what they should do in case of emergency.
In addition to the evacuation plan, make sure they know how to stop, drop and roll if their clothing should catch on fire. They should cross their arms over their chest and get on the ground and roll back and forth. After rolling, they should douse any of the burned parts in cool water, if possible, until help arrives.
Following these fire safety procedures can work wonders for protecting your home and family. Many fire departments have special programs set up for children in regards to fire safety, so consider scheduling a “field trip” for your family. You might be amazed at what you learn, and what you learn can save your family.