An Overview of Home Fire Safety Issues

Many people think that home fires are rare and it can’t happen to them. Such tragedies always seem to happen, at times, only to other people. Nothing can be further from the truth. Fire is the third leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States. Home fires occur more frequently than you think. According to the US Fire Administration, in 2005, there were 3,675 civilian deaths and 17,925 injuries due to fire. 115 fire fighters were killed on duty. 83 percent of civilian fire deaths occurred in residence and the property loss is estimated to be around $10.7 billion. Around 1.6 million incidences of fire were reported and many are believed to have remained unreported causing additional injuries and loss.

People usually form their ideas about fire from outdoor log fires which take some time and effort to ignite and thus they are lulled into a false sense of safety. On the contrary inside a home a fire can spread pretty fast. It might be already late by the time you can shout “Fire!”. It is imperative that everyone understands the nature of fire to be able to appreciate its ability to cause devastation. Inside the home there are various fire hazards. the most notable is the kitchen. It is the most hazardous room in a home and most often all members of the family gather there. It is important to develop safe cooking habits.

Fire safety measures are a must in all homes. Some are even compulsorily required by regulations. Some essential fire safety measures are incorporated in a building during construction and others include installation of fire safety equipment. A major step towards fire safety is the installation of fire safety equipment. The most important of these are fire safety alarms. The most commonly used fire safety equipment in homes are smoke alarms or detectors. Smoke detectors can save precious lives. They are designed to detect the products of combustion even before the fire starts properly and give a warning. Other fire safety equipment include fire extinguishers, fire blankets and sprinklers. All members of the family including small children should be taught the use of the equipment and how to respond to an alarm.

There should be a proper escape plan in place so that everyone in the family knows what to do in case of a fire. The protocol should be setup and responsibilities fixed. Members should be assigned the responsibility for very young children and the elderly members. A meeting ground outside the house should be fixed so that it can be immediately ascertained if anybody is missing. Every family member should be taught about precautions to be taken to prevent fire and also in case a fire breaks out. The help of the local fire department can be taken in this regard. Where there are multiple floors everyone should be trained how to escape through windows.

A fire incident in any home can be a very devastating experience physically mentally and financially. Man is the creature of habit. So it is important that all family members develop certain fire prevention habits particularly small children, smokers and people who use the kitchen. You can also prepare a checklist and involve small children in a fire safety audit to be done at regular intervals around the house. Try to collect as much information as possible about fire safety and fire hazards and keep you family members informed. This way you can greatly lower the chances of fire in your home and even if a fire starts the damages will be minimal.