There is no better time to protect yourself and your family from fire. The problem with fire is that you never know when it is going to happen. But, you do know it will spread quickly and can be deadly. At least fifty people are killed every year from house fires, which’s more than the number killed by bush fires.
Home fires are often started by faulty electrics, that’s why you should ensure your electrics are inspected annually. This will help you to identify any issues and deal with them before they cause a fire.
It’s also important to contact reputable fire safety equipment suppliers and get all the gear you can to protect your home and buy you time to get out. After all, your home can be replaced but your life cannot.
Smoke Alarms
These are, without doubt, the most important piece of any fire safety kit. The government recommends that you have a smoke alarm on every floor of your home. If you prefer, you can have one in every room.
However, if you put one in the kitchen it’s a good idea to keep it away from the cooking area. If you don’t, you’ll have a lot of false alarms.
Smoke alarms can be standalone or they can connect to each other and your house alarm system. The choice is yours.
Fire Extinguishers
If your house is on fire the main aim is to get everyone out safely. However, if the fire is small it’s worth having a fire extinguisher on hand. This can be used to put out small fires and prevent damage to the rest of your home.
However, you should only tackle a fire if everyone is ut and you’re confident it’s safe to do so.
Fire Blanket
If someone’s clothes catch on fire then you need to put them out quickly. The best approach is rolling them on the ground but a fire blanket can also help as it will smother the flames.
A fire blanket can also be useful at smothering small fires in the house, averting the crisis.
Fire Escape Ladder
If your home is two-stories or more then you should keep a fire escape ladder handy. It needs to be easily accessible by all upstairs rooms or, ideally, one kept in every room. The ladder will allow people to get out of the window and down to the ground safely.
The good news is they are collapsible, making them easy to store and to keep handy in case you do experience a fire.
Fire Escape Plan
This isn’t strictly speaking a piece of equipment but it is an essential part of your fire preparation. You need to create a plan that enables everyone to escape from the house regardless of what room they are in.
Ideally, there should be two exit options for every room and the plan should be practiced regularly to ensure it works. This can make a huge difference to a successful evacuation in the event your home is ever on fire.
