Fire Safety 101: 5 Tips to Prevent Fire at Home and Work

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Learning how to prevent fire is one of the most crucial tasks anyone should know how to do. It’s necessary, especially since you don’t know when you’ll face such a dreadful situation. Although traumatic, it’s essential to remain safe and vigilant every day, whether at work or home.

Surprisingly, there are many things you can do to improve your safety and others, but we’ll only tackle five of them. If you’re unaware of how to keep your home and workplace safe, here are some tips you can do to ensure you stay in a free-fire area. 

Check Fire Alarms and Smoke Detectors

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Fire alarms and smoke detectors are the main defense mechanism you can use to prevent fire. Although most people have seen or used these devices, others have decided not to use them. However, statistics show that the risk of fire is 55 percent lower in homes that use smoke detectors and fire alarms. 

At home, everyone should understand how these systems or devices work, and when to change the batteries. When it’s cold, houses are likely to face carbon monoxide poisoning since there’s less ventilation. Additionally, dead batteries are the leading cause of 24 percent of smoke alarm failures.  

When it comes to your workplace, the company should have a professional who can test and inspect the fire alarm and smoke detector systems. Whether external or internal personnel, these people are responsible for many fire tasks. 

Inspect the Functions of Fire Extinguishers 

Another essential tool you should keep at all times is a fire extinguisher. Whether you’re at home or work, this tool always requires an inspection to ensure they’re still functioning. That said, you want to keep your area always safe, so the best way to do so is to hire a building fire maintenance expert, so your building’s fire tools meet all the requirements. 

Additionally, these experts can also inspect other items, including the following:

• Pressure gauge 
• The cleanliness of the fire extinguisher 
• The tamper indicator or safety seal
• The nozzle of the fire extinguisher 

Knowing How to Use a Fire Extinguisher 

Having a fire extinguisher isn’t enough; you must know how to use it in unexpected circumstances. Since there are different types of fire extinguishers, knowing how to properly identify the type and size of the fire, and the type of extinguishers is essential. As a rule of thumb, there are three steps you should do: pull the pin, point the nozzle, press on the trigger, and pull at the base of the extinguisher.

Everyone should train on how to use a fire extinguisher, especially since this tool can avoid 80 percent of all fires, regardless of its type. 

Similarly, employees at work may need some additional training in using a fire extinguisher, including hands-on training. That’s how you keep up with your company’s fire safety requirements, while also keeping other people in the workplace safe. 

Have a Fire Evacuation Plan 

Regardless of the situation, you and your company should always have a fire evacuation plan. If the unexpected happens, at least you’ll know what to do and where to go. 

Most families don’t discuss a fire escape plan, mainly because they think they’ll never endure one.

However, now is a good time to create one and ensure each family member knows how to escape fire from your home. Additionally, it may be helpful to practice your evacuation plan from different rooms around the house, so everyone knows how crucial it is to have a meeting place where they can all meet. That way, they know how to act quickly and exit the home safely. 

When it comes to your workplace, most companies are required to have a fire escape plan for the same reasons. This place must be well-conducted and designated in a way to ensure all employees know their roles. Besides, they also have other responsibilities, including the check-in location and taking other additional safety measures. 

Check Whether the Emergency Contact is Updated 

If you want to take extra precautions, you need to ensure your fire safety program is updated, meaning knowing who to call in case of an emergency. So if you’re at home, you must check whether your emergency service and fire department numbers are up-to-date, and they’re saved on everyone’s device. Another tip is to put these numbers in a main location like the refrigerator, but don’t forget to provide your address too. 

Updating your emergency contact information is not a one-time thing; you should do this yearly. In case you want to extend your contacts, now is the time to verify and update those numbers too. 

At the same time, your evacuation plan at work should include the number of local emergency services, fire departments, or other requirements. Additionally, it’s helpful for your company to have the address of the building, so the location can be shared with the adequate emergency services.