There are many ways that you can make your home safe from fire. Here are some of the things that you can do to your own home to help stop fires from happening.
One of the main things that will save your home from fire, would be to install smoke detectors. A smoke detector should be installed on each floor of houses, apartments or flats. You should have one installed near your sleeping area and one in your kitchen area to make sure that each part of your home has one nearby. If a smoke alarm starts to beep, you will be alerted that there is a fire in your home. If it is a smaller one, you may be able to throw water on it to put it out yourself. If it is larger, you will have been alerted so that you can escape your home to safety. Make sure that you change the batteries in your smoke detectors every six months so that the smoke detector will always have enough power to sense a fire.
Make sure that in your kitchen area, you have a fan near the stove in case something starts to burn. This will help keep your smoke alarm from going off when you are in the kitchen. Do not leave pots or pans unattended in the kitchen when cooking. Grease can splatter out of a pan onto a wall, causing a fire.
You should have fire extinguishers in a few areas of your home, as well. One should be kept near your heating source and your hot water heater. Also keep one in your kitchen. These can be grabbed quickly if you see a fire that has begun. You squeeze the trigger and a chemical will spray from the fire extinguisher, putting out the fire.
Outside of your home, do not leave any flammable materials near the foundation of your home. If you have dry leaves or grass piles, put them further away from your home. These can easily catch on fire, and if they are too close to your home, your home can catch fire easily. The same is true with firewood or old tree branches. Move these far away from your house so that they will not be nearby, possibly catching your home on fire.
If you have a fireplace in your home, always stay in the room to watch the fire. Never leave it unattended. Make sure that it is completely out before you go to bed. Use a mesh screen in front of your fireplace so that pieces of wood that are on fire, will not pop out of the fireplace into the room or onto furniture.
If you use an electric heater to help keep your home warm, make sure that it is not near any curtains or any other items. It should be left with room around it so nothing is touching it. When you are not going to be in the room, unplug the heater.
Clutter is something that can catch on fire easily, making a small fire turn into a huge one very quickly. If you have piles of newspapers, cardboard boxes or other paper items, remove them from your home.
If you enjoy having a cigarette or a cigar, never smoke in your bed. If you were to fall asleep and drop it, you can catch your blankets and sheets on fire. When you do smoke, take extra care in making sure to flick the end into an ashtray. If the end of your cigarette or cigar falls onto a carpet or paper item, it could turn into a fire very fast. Always make sure that you extinguish any smoking items into an ashtray so that the flame is completely put out. It would be wise to pour some water into the ashtray after each cigarette or cigar. When you throw the butts into the trash, put water on them first so that a lit ember is not placed into the garbage.
You should have someone look at your heating system, fireplace area, hot water heater and home appliances each year or too to make sure that there are no problems with how they are working that could cause a fire. Someone should take a look at your electrical wiring in your home, as well.
If you have a washer and dryer, always clean out the lint trap of your dryer after every drying cycle. This dust and lint can easily catch on fire if it builds up. Make sure that you unplug things that are not being used all the time to reduce the chance of electrical fires. Things like coffee pots or electric fryers can get very hot, so they should always be unplugged when not in use. Make sure that any lamps have a shade over the light bulb because if the lamp fell over, the light bulb could catch your wall on fire.
Keep any flammable materials together in one area of the home where you check on it periodically. Gas and petrol should always be kept in an uninflammable container. Household sprays and cleaners should be kept away from any source of flame.
There are certain building supplies that people will use when building homes that are made from materials that are resistant to fire, such as roofing material and siding. If you are able to replace some of the materials with new ones, this would help your home in being fire resistant.
If you use candles in your home, never leave them unattended. Candles are open flame and if they are knocked over, a fire can start in your home quickly. Never fall asleep when a candle is burning. Make sure that you keep candles away from paper materials or curtains.
If you have small children, teach them about fire safety. Tell them about the hazards of playing with matches or lighters and keep these things up out of the way where they can not reach them.
