In the dozen years since we've been in the Swamp, there have been 3 home fires. This area is so remote that all the fire department can do mostly is bring sympathy cards. Back when I was gainfully employed we used to have fire drills and (better yet) lessons from the fire guys to teach us how to use a fire extinguisher. They actually set the statue of General Somebody ablaze out in the courthouse front lawn and gave everybody a turn at putting him out. At the time, I was too little to even lift the fire extinguisher down from its mount. Couldn't possibly have carried it to a fire. It always delights and comforts me about the far-ranging expertise of our quilting group. Anybody know anything about being prepared for a fire? (And I will tolerate no smart 'coming from afar' quips.) I really need to get / know how to be prepared. So do you. Polly
If you have 3 floors in your house, you need 4 extinquishers. One for each floor and one for the garage. Do NOT put your kitchen extinquisher next to the stove. That's where the odds of a fire are and the odds are also that you won't be able to reach it. Put it at the entrance to your kitchen. Good reference here.
keep an extinguisher in the kitchen where it is visible, not hidden. I knew a gal that had lost a bil to a gas fire in the garage and she had several extinguishers mounted on the walls throughout the house. They need to be where they are handy. DS has put out several smallish fires by being first on scene and just grabbing a nearby extinguisher when nobody else thought to do it. Our local firefighters are nice guys. (mostly guys, all nice) I hope not to have to meet them anytime soon here at home again though. I think you are on the right track with preparing and being ready.Taria
someone that knows about this stuff will chime in. Looks like Halon doesn't leave a residue so it won't hurt electronics. I just bought the ones at Costco that looked most appropriate. I guess a good plan would be to remember there isn't anything that is worth losing your life and keep your fire insurance premiums paid up.
All fire extinguishers are not the same. They made for specific types of fires. Electrical, grease, wood, paper, etc. So check which ones you need, because the wrong extinguisher will not work. Check with your local volunteer fire dept and have them check out your property and for recommendations as to what ones you need and where to put them.
The easiest one to start with is a fire 'blanket'. Most fires, as have been said, start in the kitchen; and they are often oil/fat/grease fires that are difficult to cope with except with a specific fire extinguisher. However, the fire blanket - to be thrown over the fire - deprives the fire of oxygen and so subdues it very quickly. You have raised a very important point, though. I left the blanket (in its holder on the wall, just inside the kitchen door) when I left the Hill, so I should really investigate something (s) for here. . In message , Polly Esther writes
I worked with our County more than 10 years and checked a small apartment complex monthly for a safe way of getting out of each apartment. So don't block the windows, they are an exit! Make sure you have a safe way to get out of each room. And don't keep a stack of old newspapers close to the exits! Check your fire extinguisher because there is an arrow that should be pointing with in a green ( or red ) safe zone. If it isn't, you can take it to the fire dept. to ask them if it needs to be re-charged or replaced. Be sure to have a designated place outside where your family is supposed to meet and you will know everyone is safe. HAVE A HOME FIRE DRILL TO PRACTICE ALL THIS STUFF and get out in under 2 minutes! It's the smoke that usually kills! Check your fire alarm regularly, Christmas and July, and replace batteries. It will beep if the battery starts to get low between the time you usually replace the battery once a year, and don't use a cheap battery! And please do all this. I don't want to lose any of my friends! Barbara in SC
And Don't keep cooking oil or any flammable liquids (cans of paint) close to the hot water heater and especially if you cook or heat water with gas. Don't store items next to the hot water heater so you can't get to the cut off valve. Don't use the cheap extension cords anywhere in your house. Get the ones that have the safety light on the cord. Keep the wires so you won't trip over them. Barbara "Bobbie Sews More" wrote .......
Keep a simple bag packed with important information/prescriptions/ contact info etc that can be used for a fire or storm or any emergency. Keep it nearby. If you sleep in your birthday suit, make sure you have clothes and shoes nearby to jump into if there is a fire. Keep fire extinguishers in several places in your house. Make sure you get the proper type, in a size you can handle, and keep it charged. Read the label now, and refresh your memory every month or two so you are not trying to understand how to use it when you actually need it. Aim the extinguisher at the base of the fire, not at the flames, when using it. Keep an extinguisher in your car/vehicle for use on car fires, but also keep one to be used on a small house fire there. People have saved a house as they drive by and see a problem, then stop to help. If you have multiple stories, make sure you have a fire escape ladder that can be tossed out the window to hook on the window ledge and give you escape to the ground. If you live in an apartment complex, know where the extinguishers are outside. Know your closest fire station.
OK, I read the replies posted before mine to avoid repetition.
Always hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst.
Review your homeowner's policy. You should have a "replacement value" policy or rider, or you will get screwed big-time if the worst happens.
See if your local FD will perform home safety inspections/ evaluations for specifics for *your* home. Your insurance company may perform same, or refer you to someone reputable who can (it's in
*their* best interest).
There *should* be *at least* 2 exits from every room in your home - (usually one door and one window). If not, or you have a second floor window that does not exit onto a roof, you may have some thinking/ planning to do. As mentioned, your best defenses are smoke/fire detectors, installed, maintained, and tested properly. Extinguishers are fine, but don't be stupid - things can be replaced - lives can't.
You may need a fireproof safe for important papers (like that insurance policy, birth certificates, passports, etc.) The idea of the safe is to protect that stuff so that it will survive the fire
*without* your having to risk your life going in after it. If you did go after it, it wouldn't be in danger of burning in the first place (i.e. think things through).
Ask if you public library has, or can order, the NFPA Fire Prevention Handbook; it is The BIBLE - it will have any/all information you could ever need/want. (Note: cost to buy is prohibitive) If they can't get it, your FD should have it (but they'll likely not want it to leave the firehouse - those things are expensive.) Short of that, most anything/everything you need/want to know can be found online.
Addendum - In the event that the worst happens, the real danger of a fire is not the fire itself, or the smoke (though smoke is more dangerous than fire) - it's the FUMES. Fumes from whatever is burning may be invisible (whereas smoke is not), and may contain such poisons as cyanide, which can take you out in a few breaths. Both smoke & fumes may be superheated (which can burn you on contact - go rent BACKDRAFT again), so stay low/crawl if that's possible, but GET OUT.
If it's the electronics that were on fire, does that really matter? They're going to be toast anyway, and should be covered by insurance (like water & smoke damage from fighting fires) - so get what puts the fire out best/fastest that won't be toxic to the user.
If it's the electronics that were on fire, does that really matter? They're going to be toast anyway, and should be covered by insurance (like water & smoke damage from fighting fires) - so get what puts the fire out best/fastest that won't be toxic to the user.
Polly, I just checked with DH - who has been a firefighter for over 25 years. He said you should have an 'ABC' or 'Dry Chemical' fire extinguisher for home use. This takes care of all of the various components in your home, which CO2 does not. Halon, he does not believe, is no longer commercially available. It has been replaced by Halite (sp) which is specifically for use in computer server room and similar settings but due to the way it fights fire is not to be used with people present.
I would agree with many of the suggestions of others here as to multiple units - that you can handle - in various parts of your home. We, however, have only one in the kitchen under the sink. Then again, we are one block from the fire house. It is, however, all volunteer and it does take a few minutes for trucks to respond. I'm perfectly comfortable with this arrangement. I'm also of the belief that it's all just 'stuff' and as long as we and the dogs are out of the house, the rest can all be replaced.
I would second the suggestion of a fire safe box for your important documents. I've had one of these for decades. When my in-law's home burned to the ground just before I met my DH, they had nothing but the clothes on their backs and no way to reconstruct driver's license, credit cards, insurance documents, etc. It was beyond tiresome for them to reconstruct all of that documentation and try to buy clothes, building materials and furnishings in the process. Put copies of the expendible type infor (cc; license, etc.) and originals of the really important stuff in there. (I now need to go take my own advice).
So, off you go to the local home supply store to get your fire extinguisher(s) and BE SAFE.
Kim in NJ
I have been to many devastating fire scenes and it's not pretty. But as long as all the living creatures - either 2 legged or 4 - are safe, that's really all that matters.
We have a good system here. On the front door you have a little sticker, on the fridge door a similar sticker, and inside the fridge in the door a little screwtop jar containing a paper with your name, next of kin, medications, pets etc. etc.
When the emergency services arrive they know that the info. will be in the jar in the fridge door. (fridges apparently survive fire).
When the scheme first started a few years ago I was on the publicity stall in the High Street. Despite the fact that they were free, it amazed me how many people didn't want them - and this in a town with an above average number of older people.
Sally, I had not thought about putting the information inside the fridge door, but I have it elsewhere. Thanks! I'll do it today! Here in SC we put ICE (In Case of Emergency) on our cell phones. Barbara
InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.