Home safety
How to have a safe home
In this post from the Hamiyaranergy blog, we are going to examine the methods of home safety against fire. Every year, thousands of people, including children, are injured and killed in house fires. Children are often curious about fire and may not understand the dangers. This makes fire safety measures at home very important. The three important things you can do to keep your home safe from fire are:
Install smoke alarms in your home and make sure they are working properly.
Teach children not to play with matches, lighters and other materials that can start fires. And keep these materials out of the reach of children.
Teach children what to do in case of fire. Create and practice a fire safety action plan.
Here are more details on how to keep your family and home safe.
Preparing for the fire
A house fire can happen at any time. The following can help you prepare:
Install smoke alarms in every part of your home, including the basement and outside all sleeping areas. This simple step will greatly save your family from dying in a fire:
Test the smoke alarm monthly and change the batteries once a year or when the alarm changes.
Do not disable smoke alarms, even for a short time.
Ask your local fire department for advice on where to place smoke alarms in your home.
Replace all smoke alarms every 10 years.
Consider using audible smoke alarms. These alarms allow you to substitute your own voice for the sound of the alarm, they are useful because many children do not wake up to the sound of a regular smoke alarm.
Install carbon monoxide detectors near sleeping areas:
Note that carbon monoxide is a byproduct of smoke that can be fatal. This is a gas that you cannot see or even smell or taste.
Consider purchasing a combination smoke/carbon monoxide alarm.
Keep fire extinguishers at home:
Keep them in accessible places, especially in the kitchen.
Check their use-by dates to make sure they haven’t expired.
Use a fire extinguisher only when the fire is confined to the area of the fire and is not spreading. Otherwise, you should focus on getting out of the house.
Teach adults how to use fire extinguishers. Children should focus on getting out of the house during a fire.
If you live in an apartment, talk to your landlord about where the smoke alarms are located and how often they are tested. Also ask about firefighting locations and emergency exit routes.
Indoor safety
Many items in your home are potentially a fire hazard. Follow these steps to help keep your home safe.
Be careful in the kitchen:
Never leave cooking food unattended.
If a pan that is cooking catches fire, put a lid on it to smother the fire. And never pour water on fire. This makes the fire worse.
Do a home safety inspection. Look for anything, such as wires, that could cause a fire. Repair or eliminate fire safety hazards you find.
Put all matches and lighters in a drawer or cabinet out of reach of children. Use childproof lighters.
Before leaving the house, make sure that all appliances, including the stove, are turned off.
Know where the main gas shut off is located.
Ensure that the heaters in the environment are in stable condition and have a protective cover. Keep them at least 3 feet away from anything that can burn, such as curtains. Do not use chimneyless heaters in areas where small children spend their time alone.
Lock up flammable liquids such as kerosene and gasoline and keep them out of reach of children and heat.
Keep all smoking materials out of the reach of children. And never smoke in bed. If possible, smoke only outside.
Outdoor safety
Fire can be a hazard outdoors as well as indoors. When you’re out and about, be sure to do the following:
Always supervise children near portable grills or stoves.
Do not use fire pits around children. Children can fall into them, and even after the fire pits are hot.
In case of a fire while cooking outside, use a garden hose or fire extinguisher.
Teach your child about home fire safety
One of the best ways to keep your home safe from fire is education. Make sure everyone in your family, including children, knows the safety rules.
Teach your children about the dangers of lighters, matches and other dangerous items:
Teach them never to touch hot objects like candles.
Ask them to tell you immediately whenever they find matches or lighters. Explain that these are tools for adults, not toys. And never entertain children with matches or lighters.
Collect all matches and lighters and store them safely. If you lose any, ask your children to tell you where they are in your house.
Never leave a child alone in a room with a lighted candle. Don’t let teenagers have candles in their room.
Show children what to do in case of fire:
Make sure your kids know what a fire alarm sounds like and what to do if it goes off.
Teach children what to do if their clothing catches fire: stop, drop, and roll until the fire is out. They should also cover their face with their hands. Practice these steps with your children. Make sure they understand that running makes the fire burn faster.
Show children how to crawl under the smoke during a fire.
Make sure children know at least 2 escape routes from every room in the house. These escape routes can be windows.
Teach children to test doors when they are near a fire by checking with the back of their hand to see if the door is warm. If the door is a little warm or hot, they should try their second outlet.
Explain to the children that they cannot hide from the fire. Hiding in a closet or under a bed does not make them safe. Instead, they must try to escape from home. And if they cannot escape, they must inform others that they are trapped. They can do this by closing the room door, opening a window and turning on the lights.
Talk to your local fire department:
Introduce your children to a firefighter. Tell them that firefighters look different when on the job and when wearing protective gear. Tell them to never hide from firefighters, and to follow all firefighter instructions during a fire.
Check if the fire department has a fire safety program for children.
Create a home fire safety plan
Create a plan for your family to follow in the event of a fire. Try making it a family project. The important actions of this plan include leaving home quickly and having a specific meeting place:
Make sure your child understands “get out and stay out”. He should leave the house immediately and not return home, even if family members or pets are still inside.
Decide on a safe gathering place away from home, so everyone can gather.
Teach children to call 125 or emergency services from a cell phone or a neighbor’s phone. Make sure they know this only after making sure they leave the house safely.
Teach your children a fire safety program. Practice with them and make sure they understand it.
Have fire drills twice a year to make sure your children are prepared for real fire incidents.
You can discuss any questions you have about the methods of securing homes against fire with the experts of Hamyar Energy.
