Safety Tips For Kids: What To In Do Case Of A Fire

Teaching and educating children from a very young age about the effects of fire helps in making the children responsible. Some small precautions in such matters go a long way in preventing a massive disaster. However there are times when even after taking several precautions, a fire breaks out due to some other reasons.

Along with what to do & not do in order to prevent a fire, it is therefore, essential to teach them what to do in case a fire breaks out. If clothes catch fire, a kid should not panic. One should stop the kid, drop him in the ground and roll over and over the ground with the face and mouth covered. It will prevent the fire from spreading. A kid should also be told about the emergency exit during time of fire. A home escape plan should be chalked out by the parents. It should be practiced with the kids several times so that they know the way out even when the parents are not there. The planning and practicing exit drills will make the children confident in saving themselves in the absence of any adult member of the family. The children should also know that there are firefighters who will come to their rescue in case of a fire. They should know that the firefighters will look different and make a sound like a big breathing machine. Hence, in case a child is stuck at a smoke filled room and hears or sees someone like that, they should immediately ask for help. It someone gets burned by fire, the affected area should be placed immediately under cool running water if possible. Otherwise even pouring cool water on the wound will help in preventing further damage to the skin.

These things should be taught to the children so that proper measures can be undertaken immediately without any delay.

Filed Under: Expert Advice, Fire Security, General, Prevention, Resources · Tagged With: Child, Education, Emergency exit, Family, Health, Home, Parent, Smoke-filled room

The Elderly and Fire Safety

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Fire safety is a subject which has to be drilled into the heads of the people so that they can be aware of the factors that are prone to cause fire and injure them. The people who are the most susceptible and needs to be reminded about the hazards of being careless when it comes to fire safety are the children and the aged.

The aged people are more prone to hazards caused by fire mainly due to age related problems. The first and foremost problem which becomes prominent in old age is the forgetfulness of things. This can lead to many problems, like forgetting about the candle burning or about the fire that was left open in the room and was forgotten to be put off.

The aged may not be able to react as fast they want to because there may be age related problems like immobility or slow movements due to age or medication which can render them helpless when a fire breaks out. They may be people who stay at lonely and isolated locations which may not be able to produce immediate help from outside.

Other reason which contributes to vulnerability to fire hazards is the facts that they use ancient electric equipments which are prone to be dangerous. What ever the case, they need to be aware of the danger they may be in. for this, the best thing to do is to keep notes which would remind them to turn off the source which can be dangerous.
Another help can be done through replacing old appliances with highly safe and simple ones. They can be discouraged from using such things as wooden stoves so that they may be safer from fire hazards. A little bit of care and help can help the aged and save them from fire hazards.

Filed Under: Expert Advice, General, Prevention · Tagged With: Building, Dormitory, Emergency evacuation, Fire prevention, Fire Safety, Firefighter, London, Smoke detector

Measures for Fire Safety

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A fire can occur at any time and anywhere. It may be due to some problem which is always overlooked like the use of an old stove or an ancient electrical appliance. Whatever the reason, you should always be aware of the hazards and take action to keep any fire related dangers at bay. This can be done by following a few simple and easy steps.

The first step would be to install a fire extinguisher in all the floors of a building and also every six to seven meters if the building has a lot of width. This would ensure that anybody can use the extinguisher rather than running around looking for it when an accident occurs. They may not even be near the extinguisher when everything is over. So keep it in places easily accessible to people.

The fire blankets can be very helpful in case of a fire. These are specially designed safety devices which can extinguish the fire. But do keep in mind that the fire blanket has a limit up to which it can extinguish the fire. When there is a big fire this might prove to be a limited option.

The fire safety alarms are other popular safety devices. The alarms can warn you about a fire in the building or the house if it is too far away for you to notice. These should be installed in as many places as possible so that the fire can be detected quickly instead of waiting it to come to the room where the alarm is installed.
So you can see that there are many precautions which can be taken. Keep a first aid kit ready so that you can always be prepared if any injuries occur. Fire safety depends on the attitude of the people and how they handle the situation.

Filed Under: Expert Advice, Prevention · Tagged With: Business, Fire, Fire extinguisher, Fire prevention, Fire Safety, Industrial Supply, London, Safety

Useful Fire Factoids

Reading about statistics can be depressing, particularly when they describe death and destruction. And though becoming obsessed with such statistics is not healthy for us, often, we can glean some practical information from them. In the case of fire, analyzing some statistics illuminates some helpful information. With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at some sobering yet educational facts about fires.

Cook With Care

The leading cause of house fires is cooking. Though these are not the deadliest kind of house fires, since usually people are awake when they are cooking, these fires are obviously still dangerous to people and their property. Cooking fires usually happen as a result of people leaving something unattended on the stove or in the oven. They usually are not the fault of the stove or oven malfunctioning. A good way to prevent cooking fires is to never go too far from the stove if you’re using it. Also, having a fire extinguisher handy in the kitchen is a must.

Stop Smoking

Though they are not the most common house fires, fires caused by smoking materials are the deadliest fires. Part of the reason for this is that still-burning cigarettes often start fires when people are sleeping. Obviously, quitting smoking is a great way to prevent smoking fires, but if you’re not willing to quit, it’s helpful to make sure furniture and bedding in your home is made of flame-retardant material.

Deliberate Fires

Perhaps surprisingly, arson causes the most fire-related deaths after smoking. Arson is the term used when someone maliciously starts a fire. This type of fire is probably so deadly because many arsonists start fires at night, when people are sleeping. Also, arsonists often try to create the biggest fire possible in the shortest amount of time. Arson also includes wildfires that are set deliberately.

Filed Under: Expert Advice, Fire Security, Prevention, Resources · Tagged With: Cook With Care, deadliest fires, Deliberate Fires, Fire Factoids, Smoking

Forest Fire on the Frontier

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Forest fires are known to be constructive to the future growth of an ecosystem. Many nature sanctuaries complete controlled burns of wooded areas or grasslands as a way to reset the area and make it ripe for future growth. Nature often has its own burns, but they were uncontrolled and while healthy in the long term that fact provides little comfort to people or animals caught in the path of a rampaging fire. But not all damaging and deadly fires can be blamed on nature.

In early to mid 19th century America a great pine forest stretched across much of the northern United States. Early settlers in Michigan and Wisconsin were stunned to find nothing but thick pine forests stretched for miles. The majestic white pine trees sometimes grew to more than 200 feet tall. Despite the natural beauty of this forest, American pioneers needed land to settle. Chopping down the trees by hand could have taking centuries. So rather than worry about a man made solution the settlers took a queue from nature and started fires.

Fires might have been efficient in clearing a space, but the settlers knew little or did not care to know about fire management. Fires would clear out an intended area and often spread to dozens of unintended acres. The vast frontier could spare a few trees it was thought. After all there was no environmental movement or much thought to conserve natural resources in the mid-1800s. America was still a vast wilderness that man had to conquer.

After settlers established themselves in northern Michigan and Wisconsin a burgeoning lumber industry started and the pine forests that greeted the first settlers to the area began to be devoured by American industry and man made fires. Forest fires were a regular occurrence. The lumber industry of that era did not have established fire management plans. Nor did the industry plan for the long term future. Northern Wisconsin is all but completely devoid of the massive pines that once dominated the horizon. And it is not because of natural forest fires.

Filed Under: Prevention, Resources · Tagged With: Pine, United States, Wildfire, Wisconsin

Early Fire Safety

Fire safety and fire management were thoughts that too often escaped the minds of city planners and developers in the past. The art of building a fire was first harnessed by species that predated man on the evolutionary time line. The art of building a fire dates back to at least 25,000 years ago. The Neanderthal was able to manufacture fire. Early humans placed fire at the center of their cultures. It was worshiped as a gift from the gods and with good reason. It could clear brush, cook, provide warmth and defense against wild animals or other humans.

Due to the importance of fire in the development of human civilization it is easy to understand why people were more concerned with creating fire than restricting it. But as human civilization evolved so did the importance of fire safety. In the United States, organized attempts to control fire predate the founding of the nation. A 1654 law in New Amsterdam, the city that would become New York, ordered that buildings would no longer be allowed to construct wooden chimneys, which had the unfortunate habit of joining in with the flames. Boston officials dictated their own ordinance in 1654, as each homeowner was required to own a ladder long enough to reach the ridge of the roof and a pole that was about 12 feet long.

Despite these early attempts at regulating fire, the ordinances could not keep up with the rapid expansion of the United States. As pioneers headed west, fires were used to burn down forests and clear the paths for new cities and towns. American cities burned often in the 17th and 18th centuries. There was a shocking lack of building codes during this era in American history. And the American attitude of pushing forward at a rapid pace came at the cost of safety.

A survey conducted in 1855 found that for every 323 buildings in London there was one fire. In New York, the ratio of fires more than doubled so that there was a fire for every 146 buildings. Fire safety was a work in progress.

Filed Under: Expert Advice, General, Prevention · Tagged With: Building code, New York, New York City, United States

Fire Management And Safety Resources

Here’s a few links and websites which should be useful for anyone interested in fire management and safety.

Even the pyromaniacs among you – and you know who you are – can take a few safety tips from these sites. Be safe!

U.S. Fire Administration The website of the U.S. Fire Administration Service, with info on educational opportunities, grants and loads of other stuff and resources about America’s Fire Service.

USFA Home Fire Safety Learn how to protect your family and your home from fires and wildfires.

Yellowstone National Park – The Total Yellowstone Fire Page The story of fire in the Yellowstone National Park and why the manager’s now believe that fire is essential for the continuation of the park today.

Eastern Nevada Agency (ENA) of the Bureau of Indian Affairs The ENA BIA Fire Management has employed firefighting crews to fight fire all across the western United States.

Sparky the Fire Dog A website hosted by Sparky, the Fire Dog, aimed at children between 6 and 9 years old (and their families) filled with lots of fun things to do and education about fire safety, amongst other stuff!

National Fire Protection Association this organization have made it their mission to reduce the number of fires, through research, standards and educating the public.

Firewise Communities Especially for the people who either live or take their vacation in the fire prone areas of North America, designed to acquaint them with the hazards and challenges of living with wildfire.

Kids Fire Safety Tips A bit like Sparky the Fire Dog, but on here they have Buzzy the Smoke Detector and Reddy the Fire Extinguisher helping to teach kids some fire safety tips.

Life Safety Services The national leader in the inspection of smoke and fire dampers throughout the US.

Fire-Etc Website which has a complete line of fire safety equipment.

Filed Under: Fire Security, Prevention · Tagged With: Fire extinguisher, Fire Safety, National Fire Protection Association

Public Safety And Fire Safety

In the interests of public safety and fire safety it’s important to follow a few precautionary measures. Fire kills, but it can usually be prevented from happening in the first place.

A large part of the work of the fire department is to educate the population on the dangers of fire and simple fire prevention techniques. Fire kills thousands of Americans every year, and the saddest part of all, most of the deaths could have been prevented. 80% of these fires are in the home, so in the interests of public safety and fire safety, let’s take a quick look at how to fire proof your home and stop you from becoming another statistic.

Fire Drills

Do you remember those fire drills at school? I do, not with any affectionate I might add. The teachers always pretended that it was ‘random’ and that they ‘didn’t know’, but some sadistic so-and-so always hit the bell when it was freezing cold “no, you’re not allowed to get your coat, just go outside quickly, and don’t run”, then they’d make you stand freezing to death for the next 15 minutes, (it’s just occurred to me that the teachers were somehow permitted to take their coats) until some twerp who had been ignoring his name on the register finally owned up, and everybody was satisfied that no-one was burning to death in the toilets and were allowed to go back inside.

Have you ever practiced a fire drill at home? I bet you haven’t, but it’s a good idea for your children to know all of the escape routes in the home, and that they are kept clear, and to just practice leaving the house safely if there is an imaginary fire in some part of the house.

Smoke Alarms and Fire Extinguishers

Have you checked your smoke alarm lately? My family would argue that I check mine regularly, as a signal to let them know that dinner was ready five minutes ago (oooops) but seriously, smoke alarms save lives, use them, check them and don’t ignore them!

If your smoke alarm goes off (and remember, there’s no smoke without fire!) in the middle of the night, don’t waste time looking for valuables, the only thing you should take with you is your family! Roll out of bed, and keep low to the ground, just one breath can kill you. It’s often the smoke that kills you long before the fire has the chance! Follow your pre-planned escape routes, and feel the back of every door before opening it, if it feels warm, do not open the door, but go through a window or another door. Always close the doors behind you, and that way the fire will be more contained until the fire department gets there.

If you follow these public safety and fire safety tips, hopefully you and your family will be better equipped to prevent or escape from a fire.

Filed Under: Expert Advice, Fire Security, Prevention · Tagged With: Fire, Fire Safety, Smoke detector