Did you know that more than 25% of fire outbreak reports occur from home? Yes, the scary thought of your home catching fire is not unlikely. Studies show that the highest period of recorded fire outbreaks is between December and January. The truth is that the majority of fire outbreaks in the home are as a result of cooking. Cooking is not the only reason your home can catch fire— cigarettes, excess electricity, and candles, among others very quickly, are capable of burning down your house to ashes.
It is essential to want to protect your family and loved ones from this dreaded experience – the possibility of losing everything you have within hours. Injuries, billions of dollars lost in damages, and of course, death. Modern homes have been cautious in managing anything that may come close to a fire outbreak. Fire extinguishers, fire alarms, water sprinklers, and sometimes, escape plans are made to protect the people living in a home during fire outbreaks.
HOW DO YOU PREVENT A FIRE OUTBREAK AT HOME?
We may not control everything around us, but we must do what is possible to live easier and safer. Here are a few ways to train ourselves to prevent fire outbreaks in the house.
DON’T LEAVE FLAMES UNATTENDED TO
If you are cooking or simply lighting candles, keep the flames away for anything that could catch fire, such as curtains. Watch your fire continually until you put them out ultimately. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, attend to it immediately. Direct flame is the easiest way for a house to catch fire. Chimney fires should also be put out completely to prevent the possibility of starting a fire.
DO NOT SMOKE
Always make sure you smoke outside of the house in a well-ventilated area; if you smoke and completely put out the cigarette before throwing it away. It is easy to feel comfortable and forgetful when you throw out a smoked cigarette at home. Cigarettes have various additives that keep them burning for a while. Throwing them out into trash cans can cause a fire outbreak if the fire is not entirely out.
UNPLUG CORDS
A potential cause for fire outbreak is excess electricity that flows through your electrical cords for TV, computer, irons, etc. To prevent the possibility of too much thermal energy causing a fire outbreak, take out all plugs that are not in use at any point in time. This stops the energy flow that could potentially trip a cord to cause a fire outbreak.
SUPPRESS SURGE
Another way to prevent a fire outbreak at home is to use surge protectors to control energy flow in electrical cords and appliances. This is helpful primarily when you use multiple electrical devices at a go. Using surge suppressors can reduce the risk of your house catching fire at the very least.
WHAT TO DO WHEN THERE IS A FIRE OUTBREAK?
Most home fires go off when fire sprinklers water them down, but unfortunately, not all homes have it installed, and some others just forget to check if it works. The first point of action during a fire outbreak is to remain calm. Being agitated and restless will make you lose focus to act rationally. If the fire has not escalated, get a fire extinguisher in the house and put it out quickly. However, you cannot put out the fire on your own, get everyone out of the house as soon as possible and call for help. Remember everything you own can be replaced but not your life. Think safety first.
AFTERTHOUGHTS
Plan fire safety measures for your home to prepare for any possible fire outbreak. Learn to use fire extinguishers and teach your children how to do the same. Declutter your home as often as possible because fires quickly spread when many things clutter the area close to the fire. Nobody plans for bad things to happen to them, but they happen sometimes. What is essential is how much you prepare to deal with when a fire breaks out in your home.