Fire safety–and the role it plays in your life–depends on many things, including your attitude.
All of us need to learn how to protect ourselves and family members from the hazards of fire. We all need to be made aware of them and reminded to be responsible, to think, and to make time for fire safety!
Fire Prevention Week runs Oct. 8-14 this year, and I would like to share some fire safety facts and tips with you:
Fire safety facts
- Most fires occur between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
- Smoking and cooking are two of the top causes of fire.
- Most fire-related deaths are caused by smoke, not by flames. Smoke is quiet and deadly . . . it will cover you like a blanket. Fire and smoke travel very quickly, often with tragic consequences!
A fire can engulf a home or cottage in six minutes. But smoke can engulf a home in two minutes or less!
Fire safety tips
- When you’re asleep, your nose is asleep, so smoke alarms are critical for the early detection of fire.
It is highly recommended to have properly installed and maintained working smoke alarms on every level of your home or cottage, outside the sleeping areas, and in the bedrooms!
Test your smoke alarms weekly by pushing the alarm test button. Test them monthly with actual smoke from a piece of smouldering cotton string, incense stick, or candlewick.
Vacuum every six months, and change the batteries when you change your clocks in the fall and spring (or when needed). Replace smoke alarms themselves every 10 years.
- Develop and practice a family home escape plan with two exits out of each room.
- In any building, always make note of where the exits are.
- If your clothing catches fire, don’t run! Stop, drop, and roll.
- In smoke conditions, cover your mouth and nose with a cloth, and crawl low to the nearest exit.
- Never open a door without checking it for heat or to see if smoke is leaking in around the edges.
- Make your home “kidproof” by keeping matches and lighters out of children’s hands (matches and lighters are tools, not toys).
- Never store gasoline, propane, or other flammable products in the home.
- Never call the fire department from inside a burning home–even if seems momentarily safe.
Meet at a designated spot outside and send someone to call from a neighbour’s house.
- Never re-enter a burning home. Many deaths occur because people go back.
If fire strikes and the blanket of smoke descends, you could be lost in your own home. The only light will be deadly–and coming your way!
Remember, if you never need what you learn about fire safety, you have lost nothing. But if you never learn what you need, you may lose everything . . . your family and your life!
