The Best Practices for Fire Prevention Techniques

In 2009, there were an estimated 356,000 residential building fires that occurred with 12,600 injuries and 2,480 deaths. While not all fires can be prevented, there are many practices that you can put in place to reduce the chance of a fire in your home or business. The best policy for firefighting techniques is through education and preparedness.

Safe Cooking Practices

• With the presence of flames, cooking gas and flammable cooking oils, the kitchen is a hot spot for fires. Decreasing the risk of accidental fires in the kitchen depends on implementing safety precautions when cooking. Some basic precautions are never leave items that are cooking unattended, roll up clothing sleeves when using the stove and never place tinfoil in the microwave. If your stove or oven appliances begin to operate weirdly, then turn them off and call a service technician to repair any problems.

Fire Detection

• Smoke detectors are often the first line of defense against fires in your home. They function by detecting small traces of smoke particles in the air and emit a high-pitched alarm to alert you of the suspicious smoke. All smoke alarms should be battery operated to guarantee that the unit would function despite a power outage in the home. Fire alarms should be installed around your house and close to your kitchen where the risk of fire is greater.

Fire Extinguishing

• Fire extinguishers are an invaluable safety item to have because they are specially designed to smother and extinguish a variety of fires. They contain a nonflammable mix of chemicals that can be applied to any type of fire, including grease fires, which are notoriously hard to extinguish. Using this device effectively relies on educating homeowners or business employees on proper fire extinguisher maintenance and proper use techniques.

Education

• Whether you are a homeowner or an employee in a business, it is important to hold meetings a couple times a year to discuss safety procedures during a fire. Discussing a plan of action for a fire emergency is imperative in understanding how to safely react to spontaneous fires. This plan should include techniques for extinguishing the fire, for informing emergency services and for exiting the building in a safe manner.