Safety
FIRE SAFETY AT HOME
As most fires in the home start accidentally, it’s important to carry out a few simple safety checks. By doing so you can:
- Reduce the chances of a fire starting in your home.
- Keep yourself, your family and your property safe from fire.
Don’t forget, if there is a fire in your home – get out, stay out and call 911 – don’t try to tackle the fire yourself.
PREVENTING FIRES
There are a number of ways that a fire can start and the effects can be devastating. For example, Forty per cent of fire deaths in London result from fires in the home started by carelessly discarded cigarettes, cigars or tobacco. How we live and the way we use equipment can significantly reduce the risk of a fire starting. There’s no better way of dealing with a fire than preventing is from starting in the first place.
Smoking
Forty per cent of deaths caused by fires in the home are caused by cigarettes, cigars or tobacco. In fact, households with a smoker are almost one and a half times more likely to suffer a fire than non-smoking households.
Safety tips
- Make sure your cigarette, cigar or pipe is out when you’ve finished smoking it.
- Never leave lit cigarettes, cigars or pipes unattended – they can easily overbalance as they burn down, land on a carpet or newspaper and start a fire.
- Take extra care when you’re tired, have been drinking alcohol or taking medication that can make you drowsy. It’s very easy to fall asleep without realising that your cigarette is still burning.
- Never smoke in bed – if you need to lie down, don’t light up. You could doze off and set your bed on fire.
- Always use a proper, heavy ashtray that won’t tip over easily and is made of a material that won’t burn.
- Never tip ash into a wastebasket.
- Empty ashtrays frequently – wet the contents before emptying them into a metal bin outside the home.
- Keep all matches and lighters out of the reach of children. Use only one lighter/box of matches at a time so you will notice straight away if it goes missing. Where possible buy child-resistant lighters and matchboxes.
Safety in the kitchen
Around 60 per cent of accidental fires in the home start in the kitchen. Taking a few simple measures can make all the difference.
- Make your kitchen safe
- Keep electrical leads, tea towels, cloths, loose clothing and anything else that may catch fire away from the oven and hob.
- Keep the oven, hob and grill clean – a build-up of fat and grease can easily catch fire.
- Keep your toaster clean, free of crumbs and away from curtains, kitchen rolls and anything else that could catch fire.
- Never put anything metallic inside your microwave.
- Never attempt to sterilise dish cloths or sponges by heating them in the microwave.
- Never overload sockets – use one plug in each socket. If you have to, use a fused adapter and keep the total output to no more than 13 amps (a kettle alone uses 13 amps). Remember, high-rated appliances such as washing machines always need their own socket.
- Make sure plugs have the correct fuse for the appliance being used. If in doubt, refer to the manufacturers instructions.
- Turn off electrical appliances when not being used and have them serviced regularly.
- Keep electrical leads and appliances away from water.
- Use a spark device to light gas cookers as this is safer than using matches or lighters.
- Never leave children alone in the kitchen. Keep matches, lighters and pan handles where children can’t reach them. Fit a child safety catch to the oven door.
- Keep handles of pans turned to the back of the hob and away from other gas burners/electric rings.
- Take pans off the heat and turn off the hob and/or grill if you have to leave the kitchen while cooking, and make sure the oven, hob and grill is turned off when you have finished cooking.
- Avoid cooking if you are tired, have been drinking alcohol or are taking medication that can make you drowsy.
Chip pans / hot fat frying
- Never fill a pan more than a third full with fat or oil.
- Dry chips/food before putting them in the pan.
- If the oil has started smoking turn off the heat and leave the oil to cool down, otherwise it may catch fire.
- Turn off the hob if you have to leave the kitchen whilst cooking.
If your pan catches fire:
- Don’t panic and don’t take risks.
- Don’t move the pan.
- Never throw water or use a fire extinguisher on a hot fat fire.
- If it’s safe to do so – turn off the heat, but never lean over the pan to reach the controls.
- Leave the kitchen, close the door behind you, tell everyone else in the home to get out and don’t go back inside for any reason.
- Call 911
Candle safety
Many of us enjoy using candles, particularly during celebrations and festivals, but none of us want to burn down our homes or risk our lives by not using candles safely.
Using candles safely
- Always place your candles/tea lights in a suitable fire resistant candleholder
- Make sure the candleholder holds the candle/tea light firmly and is on a flat and stable surface to stop it falling over.
- Always put the candleholder on a heat resistant surface like a ceramic plate (tea lights can melt plastic surfaces such as the top of a television or the side of a bath).
- Always leave at least 10cm (four inches) between burning candles/tea lights and never place them under shelves or other enclosed spaces. Keep candles/tea lights, matches and lighters out of the reach of children and pets.
- Keep candles/tea lights away from curtains, furniture and anything else that can catch fire. Keep loose clothing and hair away from candles/tea lights when they are lit.
- Always put candles/tea lights out and leave to cool down before you try to move them. Always put candles/tea lights out when you are out of the room and when you go to sleep.
- Use a candle ‘snuffer’ or a metal spoon to put the candle/tea light out – it is safer than blowing them out which can send sparks and hot wax flying.
Heating and fire
Heaters and fires can come in several different varieties and forms. From industrial, high powered gas heaters to smaller electric fan blowers, no matter what type of heater you have, caution must be excercised.
Portable heating appliances
- Never sit too close to the heater as you could set light to your clothes or chair, especially if you fall asleep.
- Heaters should stand where they can’t be knocked over, away from beds, furniture and fabrics.
- Do not put anything on the heater or use it to dry clothes.
- Make sure all heaters are guarded, particularly if you have children.
- Never try to move any portable heater while it is alight/switched on – always turn it off and allow it to cool first.
Portable Gas heaters
- When changing a gas heater cylinder, try to do this in open air. Otherwise, open windows and doors to increase ventilation. Check that the valve on the empty cylinder is closed before disconnecting it and do not turn on the valve of the new cylinder until it is securely connected to the heater.
- Store spare cylinders upright and outside whenever possible. Never store them in basements, under stairs or in cupboards containing electric meters or equipment.
Open fires and chimneys
- Have the chimney swept first before lighting the first fire of winter and don’t allow soot or ash to build up.
- Inspect your chimney breast, particularly in the roof space. Make sure it is sound and that sparks or fumes can’t escape through cracks or broken bricks.
- Use a fireguard.
- Burn the recommended fuels only.
- Don’t overload the grate or build fires too high; let fires burn down well before going to bed; and check the hearth, floor and furnishings near the fire for sparks or embers.
