How Can A Fire Be Prevented

7/14/2019 (Permalink)

These tips can save your life and help prevent a fire from occurring.

There are 19 ways that a fire can be prevented.

Sure there are the basics to prevent a fire like using a smoke alarm, not leaving the stove on, blowing out candles when they’re unattended, and keeping a fire extinguisher handy. Notice what Cooperators CA says about preventing a fire;

• Have your heating system serviced regularly by a professional, including chimneys from wood-burning fireplaces. Clean around heat sources and keep dust and other flammable items away from ignition sources.
• Remove lint from your dryer filter after every use. A clogged filter and lint trap make your dryer less efficient, reduces the airflow needed to keep heat from building up in vents, and forces lint onto the heating coils. Also, never let your dryer run when you’re out of the house or when you’re asleep.
• Keep firewood, piles of leaves and garbage away from the home. If a grass fire starts nearby, these items next to your home could easily become kindling. Never dump hot ashes inside or near your home; keep them in a metal container well away from your house and garage.
• Avoid using outlet extenders or plug-in power bars: they can quickly overload an electrical circuit. Replace old, damaged or frayed appliance cords, and never force a three-pronged plug into a two-slot outlet or extension cord.
• Store containers of cooking oil well away from the stove. When cooking with oil, never leave the stove unattended. To stop a grease fire, turn off the burner and place a lid on the pan to suffocate the flames, or pour on lots of baking soda. Never pour water on a grease fire or try to carry the pan outside; water splatters the grease and makes the fire bigger, and the pan will be much too hot to carry.
• Be sure to properly extinguish smoking materials. Smoking materials that are not properly extinguished can smoulder undetected for days before igniting a fire. Never discard smoking materials on the ground or in plant pots.

In addition to these common fires, potting soil fires can also occur. How? Potting soil has a large volume of what’s called, “Peat Moss”. And when peat moss gets too dry, then it can become very flammable. Having other ingredients in your potting soil such as wood shavings, bark, etc can add to the risk of a potting soil fire. How to prevent this? Cooperators CA states;

• Water potted plants regularly. Make sure the soil around your potted plants stays moist. Soil in pots dries out faster than soil in garden beds.
• Keep ashtrays handy. Regular garden soil may extinguish a cigarette, but that’s not true for potting soil. Make sure smokers have a safe place to dispose of their butts, indoors and outdoors.
• Use clay pots where possible. If a fire breaks out, a clay pot will keep it contained better than other types of pots.
• Keep potting soil away from combustible materials. For example, firewood, stacks of old newspapers, aerosols, paint solvents, gasoline and cleaning products.
• Dispose of unused potting soil carefully. Unused soil can dry out quickly and become a fire hazard. If you have any left over, spread it on your garden beds.

In our everyday life, we light fires such as candles, on our stove, etc. However, there’s important safety tips to remember when doing so.

1. Do not use gasoline
2. Keep your chimney cleaned at least twice a year.
3. Have a Class A fire extinguisher on hand.
4. Teach your kids to stay away from hot stoves.
5. Let ashes cool before discarding them.
6. Keep your wood safety stored away from any wood-burning appliance.