Fire safety begins with a thorough investigation of the home to locate possible trouble spots. It is a rare to find a home that does not have a least one of the following possible fire safety problems:
- Overloaded electrical circuit
- Electrical cords running under carpet or rug
- Frayed wires
- Undersized electrical circuits
- Defective appliances
- Wrong-size fuses (oversized)
- Stored flammable liquids
- Stored pile of dirty, oily rags (possibility of spontaneous combustion)
- Too many electrical appliances plugged into one outlet
- Gas leaks
- Accumulation of grease in stove
- Accumulation of grease in range hood
- Bare light bulbs (especially in closets)
- Build-up of pitch in fireplace or wood stove chimney
- Improperly installed fireplace or wood stove
- Improper screen in front of open fireplace or wood stove
- Outdoor barbeque grease build-up
- Children's access to matches
- Sloppy workshop area
- Smoking in bed
- TV set left on all night (can overheat and explode)
- Dry tree
- Plastic tree that is not fire retardant
- Burning candles
- Tree placed near heat source
- Children playing with candles
Visit your local fire department and get their pamphlets on fire safety. They may even offer a service in which they will visit your home for a security tour.
After you have evaluated all the possible problems and corrected them, you are ready to take some offensive, as opposed to defensive, tactics.
Plan fire escape routes. Be sure each bedroom is mapped out with at least two possible routes. Train the entire family in what to do in case of fire, especially children, and what the escape routes are. Remind them that most deaths are caused by smoke inhalation, not the fire itself. Decide on a common meeting place outside or at a neighbor's, so you can quickly determine if anyone is missing and probably trapped inside. Tape the fire department number on all phones. Remind your family to forget about their possessions, just escape. Determine if any special fire escapes or rope ladders are needed from the second floor. Put a few fire extinguishers, the multi-purpose (ABC) types, around the house, especially in the kitchen. And, finally, conduct a fire drill. Above all, install fire detectors. These simple devices are inexpensive and can be installed in just a few minutes. They can run off either household electricity or batteries. When you realize that the majority of fires occur at night, you see the wisdom of installing these detectors. Fire experts estimate that half the lives lost could have been saved with these detectors. Install the detectors between the sleeping areas and the rest of the house. In multi-level homes, have at least one on each floor. In a two-story house, install one on the ceiling at the bottom of the staircase. Put one at the bottom of the basement staircase as well. Be sure not to install them near an air supply, open duct, or vent These may pull the smoke away from the detector. Also, avoid placing them near safe sources of heat or smoke where they will activate unnecessarily.
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