Your home is your escape from the harsh world, but what happens when your home becomes that which fuels your nightmares. It’s in no way an overestimation to single out Fire as a universally terrifying event that has been quite literally burnt into the collective psyche of humanity. The destruction that it leaves in its wake is inscribed into our culture – into the stories we tell. It is something that we have managed to harness and bend to our will in many ways, but we do not have any control of it per se, and this uncontrollable essence is what keeps the fear inside of us all glowing.
We’ve come a long way since ancient times, however, and as such have become very effective in mitigating the potential for and consequences of fire. To counter the unpredictable nature of fire, here are ten things you can do to minimize the risk within your home.
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Table of Contents
Have An Escape Route –
Make sure you know the quickest way to get out of your house from any particular place in your home and educate your children and other family members so that they know too.
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Install Smoke Detectors –
The numbers don’t lie. More than half of all deaths caused by a fire in the home are in homes that do not have smoke detectors or have defective detectors. It is important that you have smoke detectors throughout your home and especially in the bedrooms. It is also recommended that you test your smoke detectors consistently to check that the batteries are working, and that the detector is in proper working condition too. If you think your detectors are getting a bit long in the tooth, replace them!
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Have Fire Extinguishers On Hand –
Keep a fire extinguisher in a known location, usually the best place is on the inside of a door or entrance. Teach your children that the extinguisher is not a toy and instruct them on how to use it. They make it possible to control small fires before they get too large.
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Be Careful With Plug Points –
These might seem self-explanatory, but they are worth mentioning. It’s incredibly important to keep your plug points and cables neat and separated from each other. These types of fires are common in homes when too many devices are powered from a single plug point. If the plug point is overloaded and the wiring is not done neatly all it takes is a malfunction in one of the chords to spark a fire.
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Turn Your Gas Stove Off At The Bottle –
If you use gas to cook with consider turning the gas off from the bottle after using it.
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Keep A Fire Blanket In The Kitchen –
Use fire blankets to extinguish a small fire by smothering it before it has a chance to get any bigger.
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Install Home Fire Sprinklers –
Automatic home fire sprinklers help reduce flames and heat, often long before any fireman can get to your home.
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Leave matches and lighters out of reach of small children.
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Store flammable products properly.
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Blow out your candles before going to bed.
