Some Useful Advice About Fire Safety in Your Home

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Let's face it, we do live in a Nanny state, and we are always getting bombarded with advice on how to stay fit and healthy; we are told not to drive too fast, not to eat too much, to wear seat belts when we drive, not to drink when we drive, and so much more. It seems that the only place to be, where there are no safety rules are our houses; but of course this is not true and not to be too dramatic, we are often living in a ticking time bomb, when it comes to fire safety standards in our houses. Here are some very simple, and gentle ideas to get your accommodation at least up to the minimum safety requirements for fire hazard.

If it moves and has a flame, it is potentially dangerous. Candles, moveable gas heaters and your BBQ are all sources of potential danger in the home. Don't light any of those candles, get your Gas heaters serviced by a professional every year, and get a proper BBQ built.

Fit some isolation switches in your kitchen so at least if an electrical fire occurs you can switch off the source of the trouble without pitching the house into darkness. Find out where you gas turn off switch is and make sure it is easy to turn.

Don't smoke in the house, and definitely not in bed or lying down, and make sure if you do smoke that there are big enough ash trays in the garden.

Get you electric plugs services annually, and never use two adaptors together with lots of appliances plugged in.

Get rid of old electrical equipment and buy something new with the approved fire safety markings.

Buy some smoke alarms, they are not very expensive and extremely easy to fit. You need at least one on every floor and the Kitchen is one of the main areas. Having fitted the smoke detectors, this is not the end of the story, as they need to be tested at least every two months to make sure that they still work.

Buy and fit to the wall a fire extinguisher, and a fire blanket. There are a different types of extinguisher for different combustible materials, but a good all-rounder is the CO2 extinguisher. Make sure that you know how to use the extinguisher, and get it maintained at least every two years.

The above tips are provided to get your home up to a certain minimum standard, but of course every home is different with different hazards, so if in doubt, consult your local Fire Station and they will be delighted to help.

Get more tips on Protecting your home against fire, here.