10 Tips To Prevent Or Escape A House Fire

Overview

House fires that result in severe injuries or even prove fatal are often preventable. Since house fires are extremely hazardous, here are some tips and measures you can take to ensure fire prevention at home. House fires are widespread during the winter season. Most people have electric heaters on to keep their homes warm during the cold winter months. Though accidents do happen, you can always take some steps to prevent them and reduce the consequences.

 

Furthermore, the thought of losing your home can be scary. Thus, we bring you the top 10 tips to escape a house fire. 

1. Get some smoke detectors.

Smoke detectors reduce the damage caused by house fires by almost 50%. Furthermore, smoke detectors are readily available. You can buy them at low prices from any hardware store, department store, or even online. However, you can always buy more expensive ones. 

 

The expensive smoke detectors have advanced features, including flashlights, recording messages, and a unique audio-recorded alarm system. Furthermore, these smoke detectors can also detect carbon monoxide. Always remember that smoke detectors are your first line of defence against house fires. 

2. Put a smoke detector on every level of your home.

Once you have purchased the smoke detectors, the next step is to put smoke detectors on all levels of your home. However, the ideal set-up of smoke detectors requires you to set up a smoke detector in every room, outside of every room, and in all other functional areas. Furthermore, the best practices for setting up a smoke detector include changing its batteries twice a year. You should change the batteries even if the smoke detectors don’t alert you to change them. More importantly, you should replace the smoke detectors every ten years. 

3. Close bedroom doors

Several research studies on home fire safety have proved that you are more likely to survive a house fire if you are sleeping with your bedroom doors closed. As a result, firefighters suggest installing a smoke detector inside and outside your bedroom. If a fire breaks out in your bedroom and you have a smoke detector installed, you will be immediately alerted of the accident. 

4. Set up an exit plan

Setting up an exit plan is the most direct approach to escaping a house fire. You must have an exit plan for all bedrooms in your house. Furthermore, if you think you can take the front or back door to escape the house fire, you can do so. 

 

More importantly, you should remember that you should not open the door if you find the door handle hot. You can also try exiting through your window if the smoke blocks your exit path. You must ensure that everyone in your family is familiar with the exit plan. 

5. Purchase a fire ladder

If you live on the higher floors of a building, you should have a fire ladder to ensure a safe escape through your window in case a fire breaks out in your house. These fire ladders can either be made of rope or chains, with steps made of plastic or metal. Fire ladders are readily available at home repair shops, or you can purchase them online. Furthermore, these are already assembled and ready to use. 

 

When buying a fire ladder, you should look for a safety-certified listed brand. These fire ladders come with safety instructions. You must be familiar with those safety instructions before using the fire ladder. 

6. Exit first, then call the emergency number.

Calling the emergency number isn’t the first thing you should do. Instead, you should first escape or exit the building where the fire has started and then call the emergency number. Once you and your family are safely out of the house, you can call the emergency number and share the relevant details, including the location of your home. Once you contact the fire-rescuing team, they might require you to stay online and share other relevant information.

7. Never re-enter a burning home.

Once you have safely exited your burning home, you should never return. You should let the firefighters do the rescue since they are trained and experienced in fighting fires. Let professionals do the job.

 

To take an example, consider the effects of burning crackers on Diwali. Every year we hear instances of mishandling of crackers, which lead to them entering your house. It is essential to stay out of your house and call for help. Moreover, if you are injured in such a scenario, the costs of treatment can be hefty. You can invest in Fire Cracker Insurance via Bajaj Markets to get a financial cushion in such situations. 

8. Never leave a burning candle in a room by itself.

It’s as simple as mentioned. You should never leave a burning candle unattended or abandoned in a room. It’s the direct cause of most house fires, which most people don't realise.  Furthermore, be especially careful about leaving a candle burning in a kid’s room.

9. Don’t sleep with space heaters.

Home heating systems or space heaters are the leading cause of home fires. Undoubtedly, the technology of home heating methods and space heaters has drastically improved in recent years. However, it would be best if you still never slept with a space heater on. Furthermore, you should never leave a radiant home space heater unattended. You can also consider using typical heating systems for your home or use home space heaters with great caution.

10. Get a fire extinguisher.

Lastly, you must always have a fire extinguisher at home. More importantly, while buying a fire extinguisher for your home, you must ensure that you purchase a multi-purpose fire extinguisher. The multi-purpose fire extinguisher can put out fires of different types, including liquid and electrical. These multi-purpose fire extinguishers are small and easy to carry. Since these are easy to handle, you can use them to try to extinguish the fires as you wait for the firefighters to arrive. 

 

Furthermore, you should familiarise yourself with how to effectively use the fire extinguisher before you use it during an emergency. Moreover, you should also train children aged 6 to 13  to handle fire extinguishers. You should also check your fire extinguishers twice a year to see if they are functional and pressurised. You can also inspect the pressure gauge by checking whether the needle falls in the green area. 

 

Though fire extinguishers are expensive investments, they can save lives in an emergency. You should ensure that you have placed fire extinguishers in all accessible areas and check the units for expiry.  

Conclusion

Your home is undoubtedly close to your heart and is for everyone. Thus, it can be a devastating experience for anyone who loses their home in a house fire. However, as the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure.” If you have taken the fire safety steps mentioned above, you should be able to prevent or escape a house fire.

 

Since you might find some prevention methods expensive and even out of your budget, Bajaj Markets brings you the Burns Cover to help you cover the costs of the injuries that you may endure in a house fire. It is always worth the investment.