Is Your Home Safe From Fire?

Unfortunately, the chief cause of most house fires is either accidental or simple carelessness; a curtain gently wafting near a burning candle, a cigarette which has not quite been stubbed out properly or a chip pan left unattended. Yes, electrical faults can occur too but they are far rarer! There are countless examples of exactly how easily a house fire can start. 

Below you will find a useful fire-safety checklist which offers a few handy pointers on how to avoid becoming the victim of a house fire:

• Smoke Alarms – A smoke alarm is your early warning system, particularly if you are fast asleep in bed and don’t smell the smoke. Install one on each floor of your home at the very minimum and make sure that you test them regularly, changing the batteries yearly even if they seem to be working ok.

• Escape plan – Many people would consider this to be an excessive precaution but knowing your available escape routes for every eventuality is practical.  Make sure everyone in the household knows exactly what to do should the worst occur. 

• Keys - Make sure keys to all locked doors are readily accessible in case you need to escape quickly.

• Cooking – never leave pans unattended on an open flame, particularly when using oil/fats.

• Open Fires – Use a fireguard to prevent sparks landing on nearby flammable materials.

• Electrical outlets – Never overload outlets by adding on lots of adapters. An overloaded circuit can ignite.

• Central Heating boilers – Have them serviced yearly and make sure that they are vacuumed clean of dust regularly when in use.

• Candles – These should never be located anywhere near fabrics, including curtains. Even a slight breeze (closing the door of the room as your leave) can waft fabrics.

•  Tumble Dryers - Clean the lint filter of your clothes dryer each and every time you use it. These machines get hot and the lint/fluff can and does ignite.

• Smoking - Never smoke in bed and take extra care if consuming alcohol whilst smoking.  Do not leave an ashtray on the arm of your chair when you go to bed.  Cigarettes can continue smouldering for a long time and all it takes is a slight imbalance to make an ashtray fall onto the chair.

• Electric Heaters – keep drying clothing well away from all heaters.

• Electric Blankets – These should be checked regularly and never left on when you are in bed or for extended periods of time.

• Lighters and Matches – these should always be kept out of the reach of children.  Children should also be educated on how dangerous naked flames are.

• Garage/Shed – Check and carefully store flammable chemicals and fuel for garden equipment.  If your garage is integral to your home, a certified fire door, complete with self-close, should be fitted between the garage and the living area.  Never wedge the fire door open because they only work when they are tightly closed. Consider fitting a fire door on your kitchen too because kitchens are the places where house fires are most likely to start.

• BBQs – these should ideally be used as far away from the house as possible.  A spark can ignite anything flammable lying nearby.  Be extremely careful with BBQ lighter fluid – it is highly flammable and can spray onto nearby items causing an instant inferno.

Using the above tips as a checklist should help to keep you aware of how fires can and do start.  However, if the worst does ever happen leave the building as calmly and quickly as possible and leave all material goods behind. Always remember that smoke from a fire will make you confused and that you will not be able to see easily.  If it is smoky make sure that you keep close to the floor because smoke rises. Once you have escaped call the emergency services and never attempt to go back inside a burning building.