Practicing good fire safety can help protect your home and family from a potentially devastating house fire. It can also aid in preventing the members of your household (especially small children) from sustaining a fire-related injury. However, not everyone is aware of how to exercise proper fire safety. Here are five of the most important fire safety tips, which can help to protect you and your family against fire-related accidents.
Maintain Your Smoke Detector
One of the best things you can do to help prevent a potentially devastating fire in your home is to keep your smoke detector maintained. Be sure to change the batteries in your smoke detector as-needed, and test your smoke detector’s alarm on a monthly basis. If your home doesn’t have a smoke detector, you can read this short guide on “How to Choose a Smoke Detector“, which will help you decide which type of smoke detector is best for your home.
Practice Proper Candle Safety
Each year, it’s estimated that around 190 people are killed by candle-related fires, while another 1,500 are injured. [1] When burning a candle in your home, you need to be aware of the proper safety procedures in order to burn candles safely. Some important tips to keep in mind for candle safety are:
- Never leave a burning candle unattended.
- If you have pets, it’s usually best to avoid burning candles.
- Always burn a candle on a fire-proof surface or base.
- Be sure that a burning candle is placed in a non-moving, secure location.
- Never place a burning candle near flammable objects or decorations.
- Only use high-quality glass candle holders, since some glass holders can shatter when exposed to heat.
Be Aware of How to Treat a Burn
If you have small children, it may be inevitable that you may need to treat a burn. In order to be prepared, it’s important to familiarize yourself with what action to take with a burn. Immediately after you have discovered the burn, place the part of the body that was burned under cool running water (not cold!), or fully immerse it in a container full of cool water for approximately fifteen minutes. Never use butter on a burn, since this can actually result in additional skin damage.
Monitor Your Space Heaters
Space heaters account for a noticeable percentage of house fires reported each year. If you have a space heater, be sure that it is placed in an area that is at least three feet away from any type of material that could be flammable. It’s also highly recommended that you turn off all space heaters in your home when you go to bed, or when you leave for the day.
Source:
[1] http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/12/09/earlyshow/contributors/tracysmith/main660125.shtml
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