How To Reduce The Risk Of A Fire In Your Home

It’s easy to dismiss fire risks and assume it will not happen to your home.

After all, this is just one of those things that happens to other people, right? Wrong. Fire risks are everywhere, and if you don’t know the risks and potential fire hazards lurking in your home, your luck may run out. Here’s the information you need to reduce the fire risks.

Appliances and Plugs

If faults arise, the appliances and plugs in your home can be hazardous.

Fridges and freezers with electrical faults inside them have been known to start significant fires, so you must keep your appliances in good condition and check them regularly. 

Clothes dryers are a fire hazard if you don’t remove the lint that builds up.  Get into the habit of cleaning the filter after every use.

Dishwashers can also start a fire – even though it’s not an appliance you’d think would do so.

Safe appliances will have the BEAB Mark of Safety, meaning they’ve passed tests to show they’re safe.

Plugs shouldn’t be overloaded into various extensions or extensions on top of extensions. If you do this, you increase your chances of an electrical fire breaking out.

Check Your Gas and Electric Systems

Things like loose gas pipes or leaky valves should be checked regularly around the outside of your home or wherever the natural gas supply is. Such problems can cause explosions that destroy homes.

The electrical box and your home’s wiring should also be checked regularly. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, let a professional electrician carry out these checks.

Maintain Your Fireplace

Fireplaces can cause devastation in the home. A burning log rolling out of the fireplace and into the carpet can start a massive fire.

Use a fire guard to prevent such accidents. Even briefly, it’s also worth putting out the fire when you leave the house.

Cracks in fireplaces can also let fire escape, so get your woodburner or fireplace checked regularly and the flue cleaned at a minimum every year.

Cookers and Chip Pans

Cooking is the most common cause of house fires. Simple things like positioning pans correctly on the hop can help prevent them from being knocked off.

However, chip pans are the most common cause of home fires, so you need to understand how to use them safely. For example, you should never fill the pan more than a third with oil. If a fire doesn’t break out, never use water; use a dry blanket or towel to stop it from spreading.

A Smoke Alarm on Every Level

Smoke alarms are essential; even if they annoy you when cooking, you should never turn them off or remove the battery. That’s too big a risk to take.

One smoke alarm in your home is probably insufficient, especially if you live in a two-story house. There should be one smoke alarm on every level, and your home should have one within three meters of every bedroom.

If You’re a Smoker, Take Extra Care in the Home

Aside from the health effects we all know about smoking, you also need to consider the potential fire hazards that come with smoking. You should take extra care because if you fall asleep with a cigarette in your hand, you could inadvertently cause a fire.

Use Candles?

Candles can create a wonderful ambiance but are also a fire hazard. Ensure they are securely attached to a candle holder and on a stable surface away from the wall, wood, and other flammable materials like window dressings.

Did you know battery-operated candles can create the exact ambiance without the fire risk?  Give them a try as a fire-preventative option.

Fire Extinguisher

Know how to operate a fire extinguisher and keep a couple handy. At least one should be in the kitchen.

Create a Family Escape Plan

Of course, you want to ensure a fire doesn’t break out in your home or rental property. It’s mentioned in our ‘What do Landlords fear most‘ article. But there is always a risk, even if you make your home as safe as possible.

That’s why you need to create an escape plan for your family. Understand where fires are more likely to start and formulate an escape plan around them.