Fire is one of the biggest disasters you can encounter. According to the National Fire Protection Association, in the year 2013, there were 369,500 cases of residential home fires in the US which caused the death of 2,755 individuals and 12,200 injured people.
This is why it is important that you inspect your residence for fire hazards and reduce the risks of fire in your residence with these 7 steps to a successful fire risk management to prevent fires and keep your family safe. If you’re a property owner in LA you can contact Los Angeles Fire Watch Guard Services for help.
Identify Fire Hazards Within Your Premises
Fire prevention means knowing the possible causes of fire within your house. Check out and list all possible sources of fire hazards such as:
- Fuels and flammable liquids
- Electricity
- Rubbish and waste materials
- Smoking
- Cooking
- Heating Appliances
- Combustible materials
Remove or Reduce Fire Hazards From Your Home
Once you have identified and listed all possible things that can start a fire, the next thing you need to do is to remove them from your premises or at least reduce the use.
For instance, you can:
- Make sure that you separate any flammable materials from ignition sources;
- Replace highly flammable materials with less flammable ones;
- Avoid or totally stop smoking inside your home; and
- Make sure that your electricity is well-maintained;
When you reduced any fire hazards as far as possible, then you must assess risks thatare left and decide if there are any more certain measures you need to implement in order to ensure that you have a reasonable level of fire safety.
Install a Fire-Detection and Warning System
You never know when fire accidents will happen, thus it is much better to be prepared than loss something or someone important. Installing fire detection and warning system can up the fire preparedness at your residence.
You must have a suitable fire detection system with water sprinklers which can extinguish fires when detected and a loud warning system that can warn people in all circumstances, especially if they are sleeping. Not only does this help reduce damage to your properties but it can also help lives in the worst possible situation.
Purchase Some Fire Extinguishers
There is nothing wrong with being a little extra prepared, thus it is acceptable to have several multi-purpose fire extinguishers with a guaranteed shelf life placed in various areas in your house. As a rule of thumb, you can place one fire extinguisher for every 200 square meters of floor space with at least 1 on each floor.
In general, there are 4 types of portable fire extinguishers. They mainly differ in their contents which extinguish a fire on certain materials:
- WATER: Mainly used for textile, paper, wood and solid material fires. Not to be used on metal, electrical or liquid fire.
- POWDER:Mainly used for electrical and liquid fires. Not to be used on metal fires.
- FOAM: Mainly used for liquid fires. Not to be used on metal and electrical fires.
- CO2 OR CARBON DIOXIDE:Mainly used for electrical and liquid fires. Nt to be used on metal fires.
Plan Safe Routes
Establishing safe routes in case of fire can increase the chance of your family’s survival and help them leave your home safely and most likely unscathed. If you have children, you can make effective safe routes by drawing lines and floor plans they can follow in case of fire. Ideally, it is best to have at least 2 escape route in your home which can include an exit from windows and doors.
Schedule a Fire Drill
Regular practice is crucial because,during an emergency, it is quite easy to get scared and react without thinking. So make sure to schedule a monthly drill that can help every family member, even small kids, to know what to do instinctively in case of an actual fire. You can do this during the day, but also try to do it at night for better preparedness.
Post Clear Evacuation Procedures
Scheduling a fire drill is helpful, but to ensure that your family member will not forget all your training, you can post a copy of your evacuation procedures somewhere it can be seen by every member of the family.
Conclusion:
No one can ever anticipate an emergency. But with a good fire detection and suppression system and plan of action in place, can increase the chance of survival for you and your family and minimize the damage to your residential property.