Safety Tips to Protect You and Your Family
Many people have received at least some type of safety training either in school or on the job, but many have not. With the curriculum demands placed upon educators and the financial constraints many schools and businesses face, there is little time/money left to adequately provide the training needed to properly equip the public in areas of safety.
We have all heard of Stop/Drop/and Roll, but how many of us have been taught: how to properly escape a fire in their residence; how to properly extinguish a grease fire (according to FEMA, over 50% of residential fires are cooking fires); what kind of extinguishers can be used on a gas/oil fire, or electrical fire; what is the best pre-hospital emergency treatment for burns or various injuries; where are the most effective places to put smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms; etc.?
These are areas we want to publicly address to increase safety within our community, as well as training and equipment residents what to do in case of an emergency.
Home Fire Sprinklers (Watch the videos in this link courtesy of the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition)
Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition Videos
Basic Safety Items Every Home Should Have:
Fire Extinguishers – As previously stated the single largest causes of residential fires nationwide (50.2%) are cooking fires. At least 18% of these fires result in the total loss of the structure. Almost 100% of these fires can be extinguished using a fire extinguisher, however, less than 20% of homes have a readily accessible fire extinguisher handy.
According to FEMA, a full 80% of residential fires nationwide could have been easily extinguished early in the fire event through the proper application of extinguishing agents by a quality fire extinguisher.
The four major reasons people do not have proper fire extinguishers ready are:
- 1) A lack of the knowledge of the importance of fire extinguishers
- 2) A false feeling of optimism (“It won’t happen to me.”)
- 3) The lack of funds to purchase an adequate fire extinguisher
- 4) And for those who have a fire extinguisher: it may be old or has aged out, is improperly maintained, or is not adequately charged.
There are several different fire extinguishers available on the market. For most, 1 or 2 2.5lb -5lb type ABC fire extinguishers are plenty. One should be kept under the kitchen sink, the other in the garage.
If you live on a farm or own rural property, one or more type A pressurized water cannister (P-Can) should be kept available for small grass or brush fires, and one or more type B Carbon Dioxide fire extinguisher should be kept handy for any gas or oil fires.
Smoke Alarms – Smoke alarms reduce the chance of fatality in the home by as much as 50%! Modern day homes burn much faster than older “legacy” homes due to the greater amount of highly combustible materials within the home and the more common lightweight combustible building materials utilized in today’s structures.
Every bedroom should have a smoke alarm installed as well as one installed in each living area. Smoke is made up of typically hot or warm gasses and particulates that are lighter than the surrounding air, so the best place to install smoke alarms is on the ceiling centrally located in the room, or on the walls of the room no more than 18″ below the ceiling.
Carbon Monoxide Alarms – Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that will kill you if exposed to high levels for a short period or lower levels for a longer period of time. An improperly ventilated gas furnace or hot water heater can generate enough CO to kill. A CO alarm will sound a warning when it detects levels far below fatal levels.
Every family that has gas, oil, or propane powered heat or water heaters should have a carbon monoxide alarm installed in the house. Note, Carbon monoxide is heavier than air, so it is best to install these in basements and/or main floors no more than 24″ off the floor.
First Aid Kits – It is amazing how many injuries can be treated with a simple first aid kit. A quality first aid kit can be purchased for $20-$50 and will have the necessary items in it to treat most minor injuries. Every family should have 1, and everyone should be familiar with not only where it is, but how to use the different items in the kit.