Even though Fire Safety month is in October, most people don't realize that fire safety should be considered all year round. When you own a home, you must buy home owner's insurance to prevent yourself from losing your home completely in case of a fire. This may protect things that you lost and you may regain a home but it would be better if you prevented the possibility of fire in the first place.
One of the first things that you must make sure you have in your home is a smoke detector. There are a variety of smoke detectors available. Some of them can sense not only smoke but also heat. There are also the strobe light smoke detectors. You should have a smoke detector on every level of your home and especially place a smoke detector near your furnace room and bedrooms.
Another thing that you should have available in your home is a fire extinguisher. This fire extinguisher should be placed in a convenient area and also in an area that every member of your family can remember where it is located. When you go out to buy a fire extinguisher make sure you buy an ABC fire extinguisher. This extinguisher can put out paper, flammable liquids and electrical fires. Even though you have a fire extinguisher, the idea is to have the ability to make your way out instead of putting the fire out completely. A home fire extinguisher does not hold enough material to put out a major fire.
If you are faced with the unfortunate opportunity to have to put out a fire, you need to know how to use the fire extinguisher. There is a simple equation to remembering what to do first so you don't find yourself in a world of trouble in the heat of the moment. When you have to use a fire extinguisher just remember P-A-S-S. This is pull, aim, squeeze and sweep. First, pull the pin out of the fire extinguisher then aim the nozzle at the base of the fire. If you aim at the top of the fire it won't be effective in fighting the fire and you'll waste the powder. Squeeze the handle as soon as you aim it and then sweep the extinguisher along the base of the fire.
If you should happen to live in an apartment building that is less than two stories, you may even want to consider the buying a fire ladder for your window or balcony. If you are more than two stories above the ground, do not attempt to use one of these ladders unless they are specifically made for that height.
Another option if you own your own home is having a sprinkler system installed in your home. This will also be connected to an alarm center, which allows the fire department to be called if the alarm should so happen to go off.
One of the most important fire safety equipment you could ever have cannot be bought in a store and that is having a fire safety escape plan. If you have children, you need to teach them from the time that they can understand what fire is and explain to them how essential it is to find their way out of the house.
There are free fire safety programs that you can take advantage of at your local fire department that will not only give you tips for fire safety but also help to teach your children the importance of what to do in case of a fire. In most schools they offer a fire prevention program once a year around Fire Safety week, which takes place the first or second week of October.
All the fire safety equipment in the world may improve your chance at getting out alive but the most important safety tip cannot be store bought but learned over time.
