A fire can happen at any time and can eventually end up becoming life-threatening. No matter how careful you are, the chances of a fire in the household are still high. Sometimes it is not even the fireplace or the cooker that is the root cause of a fire – the tiniest details that go unnoticed can become hazardous.
While the number of fires in UK households has significantly decreased over the last three decades, the country recorded 287 fire-related deaths in 2019/20. A total of 35,016 home fires occurred during this time, and cooking appliances accounted for 48% of the accidental fires.
-
28,503 dwelling fires attended in England in 2019/20
-
4,886 dwelling fires attended in Scotland in 2019/20
-
1,627 dwelling fires attended in Wales in 2019/20
In the next step in safeguarding your family, most of us set up fire relief measures – invest hefty sums in fire protection. You eventually install fire extinguishers and smoke alarms and establish an escape plan.
This is great. But, this isn’t the first step - and it should never be.
The first step in reducing the fire risk is ensuring that fire does not happen in the first place. When you read between the lines to ascertain the real reasons behind house fires, it is safe to say that at least 95% of them could’ve been prevented.
So, we’ve made a list of 7 simple steps that you could do to make your home a safer place.
1 Unplug items that aren’t in use
Excess internet flowing through is always a potential fire hazard. The truth is that most electrical appliances consume at least a little bit of electricity when they are plugged in and not switched on.
Unplugging them will help evade a massive threat.
2 Use Surge Protectors
If you are that person who is constantly stressed out by the number of plugs that you need to unplug, a surge protector can help.
A surge protector is a device that you can use to plug your appliances and then plug them into the wall socket. The device will modulate the irregularities with a protector and ensure no excess electricity gets passed.
3 Never leave flames unattended
If you are lighting candles, cooking or baking, you’ll want to be looking at it at all times. If you are cooking, try to stay close to the stove.
When you have your entire focus, you can react if there is a problem or any unusual behaviour. You can take control of the situation, which will help you ensure that the fire does not spread.
Also, it is a wise decision not to keep combustible material close to any flames. If you have your dustbins with paper and other inflammable material near the stove, make an effort to relocate them.
4 Try not to smoke at home
If you smoke, try always to do it outdoors or in a ventilated space and when you are done, completely put out the cigarette before throwing it away. Cigarettes come with various materials that can even continue to burn even after you put them out.
Tossing a cigarette in the trash is also risky since the materials can react and stir up a fire. Ideally, have a place to stash your ash and ensure that you dispose of the cigarette buds safely. If you still have doubts, pour over some water before tossing it in the trash.
5 End the clutter
Clutter in your home can be one way to spread a fire, and it might be a small flame that you project onto the excess furniture and fittings, boxes and other equipment you have at home to become a massive fire.
It is always best to keep the minimal yet essential number of items at home and dispose of the rest. Also, if you have a load of things in the house, it might be even tough to plan out an escape route in case of an emergency.
6 Turn off Heated Appliances when you leave
Your dryer and the dishwasher use a considerable amount of heat. Make it a point to switch these two off before leaving home because they tend to catch fire faster with the heat levels.
If you are at home, you can stop the problem, but you’ll have to come back to see your home in ashes when you are away.
7 Keep the debris down
Keeping debris away from the outside of your home is also important. Firewood, leaves, and other flammable materials can easily catch fire from stray ashes or sparks.
You don’t want those things anywhere near your home because they can quickly spread the flames to the rest of your house, and before you know it, you have a huge fire on your hands. That’s not something that you want to experience, and it’s relatively simple to cut down its risk.
You can and should be doing plenty of things to keep your house safer and make sure that you don’t have to worry as much about the potential for fire.
There’s always a risk because fires can sometimes pop up even when you do everything right, but, at the same time, you want to make sure you are putting your effort into prevention.
Simple but effective procedures!
These tips are simple procedures to get to know, follow and enforce into practice. Some of them might seem insignificant, but attention to detail goes a long way in keeping the home safe.
It is natural to miss out on a few details when you do this due to exhaustion or human error. While it might feel insignificant, these minute details can someday cause a fire in the home.
Considering this, acquiring the service of a professional is always the preferred option. Accurate Home Improvements might just be the right one.
From understanding the situation to assessing the critical fixes, the team at Accurate Handyman has everything you need to ensure that your home is fireproof and free of any hazards.
Reach out for a free assessment from our home page today!
<< Return to news