Fire Protection and Prevention

According to FEMA, fire kills more Americans than all natural disasters combined, which is why fire protection and prevention is so important. 

The following fire protection and prevention tips will give your family ways in which you can prevent home fires from occurring in your home.  While a good fire and smoke alarm can help warn you and your family of a fire, there are so many steps you can take to help prevent the fire from starting in the first place. 

Fire Safety in the Home

Author: Mark Hosken

The best way to practice fire safety is to make sure a fire doesn't start in the first place. Fire prevention is the best form of fire safety. This article lists the potential hazards in your home and what you can do to be safe.

Be Safe with Appliances

Check all electrical appliances, cords, and outlets.

• Are they in good condition, without loose or frayed cords or plugs?
• Are your outlets overloaded with plugs from the TV, computer, printer, etc.?
• Are you overusing an extension cord?
• Replace or professionally repair any appliances that spark, smell unusual, or overheat.
• Are you using the correct wattage light bulbs in your light fixtures?
• Is your fuse box in good working order? Are the contact switches clean and accessible?

It's a good idea to check around your house for potential problems regarding appliances and cords. For example, you don't want to run electrical wires under rugs.  And, if you have toddlers or young children in your home, do be sure to cover any outlets that are not in use with plastic safety covers.

Be Safe with Portable Heaters

The number of residential fires always goes up during colder months, peaking between December and February. Portable space heaters significantly contribute to this increase. Before plugging in your space heater, make sure you know how to use it safely:

• Carefully read the directions for its use.
• Never place a space heater where a child or pet could accidentally knock it over.
• Never place a space heater too close to a bed, especially a child's bed.
• Keep newspapers, magazines, and fabrics from curtains, clothes, or bedding away from space heaters, radiators, and fireplaces.
• Heaters should be at least 1 metre from anything flammable.

Be Safe in the Kitchen

Did you know that cooking is the leading cause of house fires? The kitchen is full of ways for a fire to start: food left unsupervised on a stove or in an oven or microwave; grease spills; a dish towel too close to the burner; a toaster or toaster oven flare-up; a coffee pot accidentally left on.

Always supervise your child while cooking, and make sure to practice safe cooking habits - like turning all pot handles in so they can't be accidentally knocked over and not wearing loose-fitting clothing that could catch fire around the stove.

Be Safe with the Fireplace

Fireplaces should be kept clean and covered with a screen to keep sparks from jumping out. Try to only burn wood or coal in the fireplace - paper and other materials can escape while burning and ignite nearby items. Never leave a fire burning unattended, and make sure a fire is completely extinguished before leaving the house or going to bed. Have the chimney professionally cleaned once a year.

Be Safe with Cigarettes

If you smoke, be especially careful around upholstered furniture, never smoke in bed, and be sure cigarettes are completely out before you toss them into the bin.  Hundreds of people die each year as a result of fires started by discarded or careless cigarette disposal. Most are started when ashes or butts fall into couches and chairs.

Never let your Child Play with Matches and Lighters

You've heard it again and again, but children playing with matches are still the leading cause of fire-related deaths and injuries for children younger than 5. Always keep matches and lighters out of children's reach. And, be sure to store any flammable materials outside of your home and away from children.

Be Safe with Candles

If you light candles, keep them out of reach of kids and pets, away from curtains and furniture, and extinguish them before you go to bed. Make sure candles are in sturdy holders made of non-flammable material that won't tip over. Don't let older children and teens use candles unsupervised in their rooms. 

Be Safe around the Holidays

Around the holidays, there are even more potential fire hazards to think about. If you use a real Christmas tree in your home, make sure to water it daily - electric lights strung on a dried-out tree are a recipe for disaster. All lights and lighted window ornaments should be inspected every year to make sure that cords are not worn or frayed, and all candles should be used with care. According to research studies, the number of fires started by candles nearly doubles during the month of December.

About the author:

Mark Hosken is a former Fireman and Fire Inspector who now runs
a Fire Risk Assessment company called Backdraft. This article was
prepared by Attraction Marketing

Synonyms:  Ire, ifre, ffire, fre, frie, fiire, fie, fier, firre, fir, and firee are typos and mispellings for "fire." 

Revention, pevention, pervention, prvention, prveention, preevention, preention, preevntion, prevntion, prevnetion, preveention, prevetion, prevetnion, prevenion, preveniton, preventioon, and preventino are typos and mispellings for prevention.