5 Fire Safety Tips for People With Children in the House

Environmental Blog

If you have children in the house, there are several safety tips you should keep in mind. In particular, if you have a fire extinguisher, there are special safety tips you should follow around that piece of equipment. To keep everyone safe, keep the following ideas in mind. 

1. Reduce the Risk of Fire

In general, whether you have children in the home or not, you should take steps to reduce the risk of fires. Repair faulty wiring, don't overload extension cords, get rid of appliances with frayed cords, and if you use a fireplace, make sure to clean the flue on a regular basis to prevent chimney fires. Also, make sure your fire alarms work, and have fire extinguishers in areas like the kitchen where fires are most likely to start.

2. Educate Your Children

Also, take the time to educate children of all ages about the risks of fires. Even small children should know how to evacuate the home, and you may want to have practice drills. Additionally, warn kids not to play with matches, and instruct kids to stop, drop and roll if they ever catch fire.

3. Teach Older Kids to Use Fire Extinguishers

As children get older and start staying home alone, take some time to teach them how to use your fire extinguishers. Cover how different fire extinguishers work on different types of fires, and teach them the PASS method.

This is an acronym that makes it easier to remember how to use the fire extinguisher correctly. It simply means "pull" out the pin, "aim" the extinguisher, "squeeze" the nozzle, and "sweep" back and forth over the base of the fire.

4. Tell Them Not to Play With the Extinguisher

While the idea of spraying a fire extinguisher may have some comedic value, kids need to understand why they shouldn't do this. In particular, if a fire extinguisher gets sprayed, it cannot be used again. Even if a child is just running around and pretending to be a firefighter, they could drop and dent the extinguishers. Let your children know about the dangers of playing with a fire extinguisher.

5. Choose a Lightweight Extinguisher

Children and young teens may not be strong enough to hold onto a full-size fire extinguisher. To help them, opt for a small, lightweight version. If they cannot hold a full-sized version, they won't be able to use it efficiently.

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4 January 2018

Thinking About The Environment

If you are interested in saving the planet, you are in the right place. It is all too easy to go through life without giving your impact on the environment a second thought. I used to be like that. However, since attending a lecture about environmental change, I have decided to do the best I can to reduce my impact on the world. I called in a company which specialises in green energy and environmental protection. They assessed my home and made some recommendations. I decided to have a solar panel and water heater installed on the roof of my property. I am really pleased with how these are performing.