Fire Protection Precautions You Should Take at Home
Fires have the ability to be our friend or our enemy depending on the situation it is in. When it is controlled, for something like cooking, it can be useful, but when it is not of our making it can cause devastation and loss. Combustion will occur in certain situations with the right conditions and there are a few common causes of house fires. Alarms and detectors can provide an early warning fire protection system and sprinkler systems can help to contain the blaze, if not put it out completely. There are a few basic precautions you can take and some things to remember if you are unfortunate enough to be caught in a blaze.
To create fire there are certain conditions which must be met, and these conditions are necessary whether started in a fireplace or unintentionally started. There must be sufficient fuel for burning, a steady supply of oxygen or air and the application of heat. In a deliberate fire this might be your logs in an open grate and lit with a match and some kindling. If there is an accidental blaze it might start through sunlight shining through a crystal hung in the window which heats up a source of fuel in the room to cause it to ignite.
House fires are often caused through accidents when cooking, faulty electrical appliances or sparks from an open fire. Many of these you can help to prevent by showing proper precautions, such as fire guards and making sure your electrical circuits are up to standard.
It is difficult to respond to fires during the night when you are sleeping as it is the smoke which will kill before the flames. Your breathing will become more difficult without you noticing often before the heat of the blaze reaches you. Smoke detectors and alarms are beneficial to you even more so during the night. The detector responds when carbon particles produced by the fire pass through its filter, this triggers the alarm to sound which few people can sleep through. It can be important therefore to check your batteries or electricity supply to the system regularly.
Sprinkler systems in buildings have been a popular and necessary choice for some time, they must follow certain rules for placement and water supply which can differ between countries. Sprinkler systems are more difficult to fit inside a dwelling that has already been built, however new builds are beginning to fit them whilst building is taking place. Although they can cause damage to belongings they can help to suppress the fire by reducing the heat and limiting the oxygen to the flames. Allowing the flames to continue to burn without these measures can allow the blaze to do far more damage to the property.
If you want to help to protect your home from potential fire hazards there are a number of precautions you can take which will cost you nothing. Do not overload plug sockets or use more than one extension lead at a time. Close room doors when you leave the house to reduce the air flow, and do not tore combustible materials in the house if it can be avoided.
If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself in a fire, try to stay calm, the more you panic the faster you will breath and draw in the poisonous fumes. Have an escape route planned out well in advance of anything occurring and make sure everyone in the family knows what that plan is. If you are upstairs move to the room with the easiest exit point and once everyone is in close the door and block the gap underneath. If you are on the ground floor calmly make your way to the nearest exit and if there is lots of smoke crouch down into the clean air near the floor.
Dial the emergency services as soon as you are safely out of the building, and do not re enter it until they tell you it is safe. If the fuel, heat and air supply are present, whatever the cause of the fire the alarms will sound and sprinkler systems trigger. If you have taken the basic precautions the blaze may not spread into the next room and provided you all get out safe and phone the emergency services you have done everything that you can.
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Category: Home Management
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