Top fire safety tips for your home
Category Newsletter: Property News and Views
It’s winter again and with load shedding becoming part of our lives more and more people will be using fire as a source of heat to warm themselves up, cook and light up their houses.
With the candle jar, it’s easier and safer to move the candle around.
Nana Radebe, Media Liaison Officer from the City of Johannesburg’s Emergency Management Services, says unfortunately, this is the time where they experience a lot of devastating fires and where many lives are lost, especially innocent lives of young children due to lack of knowledge.
To make sure that all residents are safe this winter, Radebe shares some important safety precautions.
Candle safety
- When it comes to candle safety, keep candles away from children. Never leave a child unattended in a room with a candle or let them sleep in a room with a lit candle.
- Store candles, matches and lighters away, out of your children’s reach.
- Try to avoid carrying a lit candle and do not use a candle in a confined space.
- Never use a candle as a light source when checking paraffin stoves, gas heaters and generators.
When you pour paraffin into a lamp or stove, use a funnel not a cup. If you use a cup in front of a child, they might think it contains water and drink from it.
- Do not use a candle to light stoves and always place candles away from curtains and other furnishings.
- Lastly and most importantly, extinguish the flame when you leave the house or go to sleep.
DIY safe candle jar instructions
Making your own safe candle jar has a number of benefits besides the obvious. The candle will give out more light in a glass jar and is effective for about three hours. With the candle jar, it’s easier and safer to move the candle around. And finally, when the candle does die out, it will die out on the sand, which means there is no risk of a fire occurring.
Here’s how to make your own safe candle jar…
1. Fill a quarter of a glass jar with dry sand.
Do you cover the fireplace with a screen to catch stray sparks?
2. Cut down the candle to size so that the flame will still be in the jar.
3. Firmly place the candle in the sand.
4. Light the candle using another candle.
5. Place the candle on a safe, stable surface.
Paraffin safety
- When it comes to using paraffin, always store it in a clearly labeled paraffin safety container with a childproof safety cap. Avoid using milk containers or cool drink bottles to store paraffin as a child could mistakenly drink it.
- If a child accidentally swallows paraffin, don't give him anything to eat or drink. Never make a child vomit as this forces paraffin into the lungs and causes pneumonia. If such an accident has occurred, take the child to a clinic or hospital immediately.
When it comes to smoking, never smoke in bed. Get up and sit where you are less likely to doze off.
- When you pour paraffin into a lamp or stove, use a funnel not a cup. If you use a cup in front of a child, they might think it contains water and drink from it.
- If you spill paraffin on yourself, wash it off and change your clothes so that it doesn't burn your skin.
- Always turn your paraffin stove and lamp off when you leave the house, even if it’s for a few minutes.
- Never use water to put out a paraffin fire. Always keep a bucket of sand or a fire extinguisher at home.
- Keep paraffin, matches and lighters away from children and never store paraffin near matches, lighters or lit paraffin appliances.
- When cooking with paraffin, leave a window open to let out the fumes.
- Always keep paraffin stoves and lamps on a flat surface so they won't fall and start a fire, and never leave young children at home unattended.
- Never leave a paraffin appliance unattended. It only takes a second for a gust of wind, pet or child to knock over a light or stove.
Cooking safety
Cooking is the second biggest cause of fires at home. Sometimes, we may not be aware of it, but our actions can lead to unfortunate accidents taking place. Being vigilant, starts with being self-aware…
- Do you keep a close watch as you cook, instead of talking on the phone or watching TV?
- Do you hang pot holders or spice racks away from the stove? Hanging them over the stove means you have to reach across the cooking surface to get them. It also means they could catch fire from the cooking heat.
- Do you protect yourself by wearing short-sleeved items of clothing when you work in the kitchen? Long sleeves can catch fire or snag on cookware handles.
- Do you keep grillers, ovens and ventilation ducts and hoods free of grease?
Heater and fireplace safety
- Before you light your heater, is there space of at least 90cm between the heater and the wall objects?
- Has your heater been installed and maintained by a qualified professional?
- Do you cover the fireplace with a screen to catch stray sparks?
- Do you keep clothing away from the heater’s flames?
- Is your heater the right size for the space you want it to heat?
- When your heater is on, do you ensure that there is enough ventilation?
- Do you wait until the heater has cooled off before you move it?
- Do you avoid using an electric heater in damp or wet areas?
Smoking safety
- When it comes to smoking, never smoke in bed. Get up and sit where you are less likely to doze off.
- As a safety precaution, use large metal or glass ashtrays.
- Before you go to bed, check the floors and furniture for dropped cigarettes or embers.
- Dump ashtrays into empty metal containers.
- Never light cigarettes, pipes or cigars near flammable liquids such as petrol, paint thinners or nail polish remover.
Author: Property 24
