Home Fire Safety Tips To Keep You And Your Family Safe

The Importance Of Home Fire Safety 

Basic home fire safety tips have been drilled into our minds since we were children. As a kid, you were taught to stay calm, pull the alarm, leave the vicinity, and call 911 if a fire occurs in your location. You're told about the importance of stop, drop and roll, done fire drills, and learned that pulling the fire alarm as a prank should never be done. However, no matter how long you've learned the basics, there's always more to learn about home fire safety. Given that a fire can lead to the loss of several possessions, damage that could increase your home insurance rates and possible injuries, it's vital to take every step in fire safety you reasonably can. There are many home fire safety tips you can follow to minimize the chances of a fire and to make it so that the danger to you, your loved ones, and your home is kept to a minimum. 

12 Fire Safety Tips 

Plenty of wise quotes have been made around the importance of preparing. Whether you believe Benjamin Franklin's quote, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail," or you like NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson's simple quote, "Preparation is everything," there's no denying that preparing is the first step to succeeding. Being ready for a fire with these home fire safety tips can increase the odds of everyone being okay. 

1. Have A Fire Escape Plan 

One of the most essential home fire safety tips is to have a plan. Just like how you plan your route to and from work, you should have a fire escape plan in advance. Make sure that every family member knows the escape route and can recite it from memory. A fire escape plan should include the following: 

• Each room should have two exits. 
• Children, the elderly, injured people, and those with physical limitations should have someone assigned to assist them, as well as a backup person if the first choice isn't home. 
• All doors and windows should be easily unlocked and opened. 
• There should be a place for everyone to meet, such as a stop sign, the front of a neighbour's home, a lamp post, or other object. The place should be easily identifiable, close enough to the home to be visible, and far enough to be safe from a fire. 
• All guests should know the evacuation plan. 
• Everyone should know that once they've escaped, they shouldn't go back in for anything. 
• Make sure that everybody is familiar with the above points to increase safety. 

Please note that these are not the only aspects of this home fire safety tip and the more details you can add, the better. 

2. Practice Your Fire Escape Plan 

Having a plan is only a helpful home fire safety tip if people know the plan. The best way to ensure that people learn, understand and retain the plan is to practice it occasionally. This is why you probably had a few fire drills interrupt math class when you were back in school. However, your teachers won't be around to help you stay calm and get out of there; it's up to you and your family to do so yourselves. Practice makes perfect, so remember to run a practice drill often enough that everyone remembers the escape plan you came up with. 

3. Ensure Your Address Is Visible, And Your Path Is Clear 

To reach your house, firefighters need to know the address, and having the address visible is a big home fire safety tip that people often forget. While the firefighters would likely be able to discern your address based on your neighbour's addresses, even if it isn't visible, this will take them a few seconds. While that might not seem like a big deal, when it comes to home fire safety, even these few seconds can make a big difference. The same is true if there's something blocking the way to your house: while the firefighters likely could make it through in a few seconds, those few seconds are precious. 

4. Test Fire Alarms 

This home fire safety tip can help you get a head start in an emergency. While a fire might seem like the type of thing that would be hard to miss, things aren't that simple. Maybe a fire starts in a room nobody’s in. When this happens, someone might not see it for a while. However, since thin layers of smoke can move around very quickly, it is highly likely that one of your smoke detectors will alert everyone of a fire first, allowing your entire family to get a head start on making their safe exit. A critical part of this home fire safety tip is to ensure you have additional alarms in a large home, as each floor, including the basement and attic, should have an audible alarm. They should be placed near areas where fires are expected to start, in places where they can easily be heard. Nearby exits and entrances to the most visited rooms are the most ideal locations. 

However, smoke alarms can only alert you and your family of a fire if they are working correctly. While this might seem obvious, smoke alarms, as well as carbon monoxide alarms, are taken for granted by many people. A good fire safety tip would be to ensure your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are tested monthly and replaced at least once a decade, even if they are still working. Be sure to replace your smoke alarm batteries if you use battery-powered smoke alarms. 

5. Ready Your Fire Extinguishers 

Fire extinguishers are a great way to put out a fire while it's still small enough to handle. Having a fire extinguisher ready to go at any time is a great home fire safety tip, and it can stop a flame when it's still small. keep the following tips in mind: 

• You should have a fire extinguisher on every story of the house, including the basement and attic.
• Fire extinguishers should be placed in the places most likely to cause a fire, such as the kitchen. 
• Have the correct type of fire extinguisher ready. Class A is best for putting out fires started by traditional combustible materials, class B is best for putting out fires that began with flammable liquids such as grease, class C is best for electrical fires, and class D is for fires on metallic surfaces. Make sure you choose the right type for the type of fires most likely to start at each location in your home. 
• Practice the proper use of fire extinguishers. 
• Test your fire extinguishers annually. 

Remember that if a fire gets too big for you to feel comfortable using a fire extinguisher, it's okay to run away instead and protect yourself. When following any home fire safety tip, it's always critical to consider your safety. 

6. Keep Flammable Objects Away From Flames 

This home fire safety tip might seem obvious. Still, it's surprisingly easy to get too complacent in your own abilities and safety. Keeping flammable materials away from fire and other heat sources is vital to keeping your family safe. 

7. Be Careful When Cooking 

The kitchen is the most common place for a house fire to start, with cooking fires being the most common root cause. For this reason, each of these pointers plays a role in this critical home fire safety tip: 

• Never leave a cooking oven or stove unattended. If you need to leave, turn the stove off. 
• Clean up crumbs, especially those near or on hot places such as a stove or toaster. 
• Let the grease cool down before throwing it out. Also, never pour grease down the drain. 
• Keep the handles of pots turned away from you to minimize the odds of you hitting and spilling them. 
• Keep children and pets away from the cooking area. 
• Avoid using kitchen appliances if you are tired, under the influence of alcohol, or otherwise impaired. 
• Leave appliances, such as toasters, unplugged and put away when not in use. 
• Avoid general clutter. 

Please remember that these are not the only home fire safety tips applicable to the kitchen, as many others are also mentioned elsewhere in this article. 

8. Handle Candles With Care 

A burning candle can add quite the aesthetic to your home. However, candles are as dangerous as they are beautiful. A useful home fire safety tip is to be careful with candles, ensuring they don't touch anything flammable, and to be careful when lighting them and putting them out. Do not leave candles unattended, don't leave them on while you sleep, and keep them out of reach of children and pets. Also, consider using flameless candles if they appeal to you. 

9. Be Cautious With Lighters And Matches 

Candles aren't the only little objects with flames that run the risk of becoming dangerous. Another useful home fire safety tip is to remember lighters and matches are to be treated the same way. Whether you're setting up a candle, a cigarette, or some other item that requires a small flame, these little devices are handy, but you shouldn't take their safety for granted, either. Avoid having these open flames near anything flammable, and put them out as soon as you can. 

10. Be Safe When Using Campfire Pits And Barbeques 

Barbeques and campfires let you cook while outside. These make them a great way to create great burgers for dinner or delicious smores for dessert. However, they can also be fire hazards. These can get out of control quickly, given that barbecues can be on wooden decks, and campfires are often in open areas. For this reason, outdoor home fire safety tips are also important. 

For a barbeque, you can minimize the risk by monitoring your gas/propane settings, cleaning up afterwards, and ensuring no leaks. Campfires should be made away from flammable materials and with proper tools. In either case, you should also keep something nearby, such as water or sand, that can extinguish a fire. 

11. Safely Dispose Of Cigarettes 

About 10% of adults in Ontario smoke, so you likely have an immediate family member, extended family member, or friend who will light one up on your property, making this potential fire hazard an eventuality. A home fire safety tip to ensure that this doesn't have disastrous consequences is to ensure that all cigarette butts are extinguished before being thrown away, and ashes should be double bagged. If a smoker lives in the house, an ashtray is usually recommended. 

12. Be Careful With Electricity, Especially Heaters 

Despite not being an open flame, electricity can still cause a fire when exposed to less-than-ideal circumstances. Electrical fires often start due to damage to the electrical components, the wiring, surrounding equipment, or equipment overheating due to excessive use. Some home fire safety tips that can minimize the odds of an electrical fire include replacing old or damaged wires, ensuring you don't overload systems, and not overusing a single electrical outlet. 

Sparks, smoke, heat, and a burning smell are the most common warning signs that an electrical fire has or is likely to start. If you feel there is a risk of an electrical fire, immediately unplug the most at-risk wires. 

There is an increased risk when the electrical device generates heat. Heaters, portable generators, and other heating appliances fall into this category. In this case, treat these devices like flames, in that you should keep flammable objects away from them and turn them off at night. 

Routine Is Key 

While you can never be 100% sure that you'll be able to prevent a fire, you can lower the odds of facing such a situation and increase the odds of turning out okay if the unthinkable should happen. Knowing each home fire safety tip listed here and turning them into habits is the most important thing you can do to ensure that your family is safe from fire.