Most home fires start in the kitchen, so never leave food unattended. Be sure to use flameless candles and replace any cords with frayed or bare wires. Smoke alarms save lives, and ensuring you are working correctly is critical. Also, plan your escape routes in case of a fire.
Keep Smoke Alarms and Fire Extinguishers in Every Room
Smoke Alarms and Fire Extinguishers are vital in fire safety and prevention Texas. Smoke alarms are one of the most essential home fire safety tools to help save lives. They provide early warning and give people time to escape a fire before it spreads too rapidly. Newer homes must have smoke detectors inside every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement. In homes without working smoke alarms, 65% of fire deaths occur. In a home fire, seconds count. Smoke spreads quickly, and working smoke alarms can cut the chances of dying in a fire in half. Three of every five home fire deaths happen in homes that don’t have working smoke alarms. Choose a smoke detector with a battery backup, and ensure it is placed in EVERY bedroom. Learn the sound of your alarm to wake up or find someone if the smoke goes off at night. Plan for escape routes with your family and mark two ways out of each room. Ensure everyone knows where the family outside meeting place is, and keep windows and doors clear of obstructions. Maintain access for firefighters by keeping a garden hose or water from a pond, well, pool, or hydrant that will reach the home and be accessible at all times.
Install a Fire Sprinkler System
Fires destroy lives and property. They disrupt businesses, strain emergency services, and have a lasting psychological impact on victims. They can also destroy historical artifacts, displace residents of high-rise buildings and cause environmental degradation. Many home fires are caused by cooking, smoking, and electrical equipment. It is important to follow manufacturers’ guidelines for usage, keep combustible materials away and have appliances professionally inspected. Residential fire sprinkler systems reduce civilian deaths by 81% and property damage by 58% (although some water damage will occur). These systems detect smoke or rapid increases in heat and release pressurized water to extinguish a fire, thus providing occupants enough time to escape the building. In addition to fire sprinklers, office and store fire safety measures include:
- Using fire-resistant drywall and building construction materials.
- Creating fire compartments.
- Having emergency alarms.
- Ensuring that hazardous waste and chemicals are stored safely.
Also, don’t overload extension cords; never run them under rugs or use cords with frayed or bare wires.
Have a Fire Escape Plan
Have a fire escape plan for your home and practice it at least twice a year. This ensures that everyone, including children, knows at least two ways out of each room and can open doors and windows. Having a designated meeting place outside (like a neighbor’s house, a stop sign, or your front porch) also helps ensure that you and your family members can be accounted for when firefighters arrive. Keep a ladder in your garage for climbing out of a second-story window, and have one or more emergency exit stairs near each door. Ensure that furniture, curtains, or other items do not block doors and windows. Teach family members to crawl low to avoid smoke and heat, close doors behind them as they leave home, and never return to a burning building.
Have a Working Fire Alarm
Fire alarms provide an early warning system in homes and businesses that gives residents and employees time to escape the building. A monitored alarm system also allows firefighters to respond to the fire without delay, cutting the amount of property loss and downtime that a fire causes. The kitchen is the most common cause of fire-related incidents, so it’s essential that cooking is always done under control and that flammable items like paper towels, washcloths, and pot holders are kept away from stoves. In addition, make sure that candles are placed in secure, tip-proof holders and that they’re extinguished before leaving a room or going to sleep. Plan and practice an escape route with your family, identifying two ways out of every room. Have everyone memorize the emergency phone number and have a safe meeting place outside.
