Home fire prevention: all the crucial tips

Home fires cause a lot of damage and are life-threatening in most situations. Want to prevent house fires? Then read all the crucial tips here.

1. Stick to your cooking appliances (stove, oven).

Causes:

• When grease or oil in a pan overheats, it catches fire.
• Accumulated grease in your hood can drip down onto your fire and catch fire.
• Pots or pans left on the stove too long overheat and catch fire.
• Forgetting your pan on the stove causes overheating in the pan, causing it to catch fire.

Tips:

• Clean your range hood filters regularly.
• Keep an eye on your pan of grease. Overheated fat can ignite very quickly.
• Never leave a stove unattended, especially when using oil or grease.
• If a flame does develop, never extinguish it with water. Use a lid or fire blanket.
• Keep the stove clean. Grease or food particles can catch fire if they come in contact with heat.
• Set a timer if you cook something on low heat for long periods of time so that you are reminded to check it.
• Make sure there are no flammable items near the stove, such as towels and wooden spoons.

2. Use your electrical appliances correctly

Causes:

• Poor quality extension cords or their misuse quickly overheat.
• Plugging too many appliances into one outlet will lead to overheating and fires.
• Outdated wiring or faulty electrical appliances can cause short circuits, which can catch fire.

Tips:

• Use extension cords in moderation.
• Turn off your electrical appliances during thunderstorms and when you are away for long periods of time.
• Do not connect multiple heavy appliances to one extension cord or power strip.
• Turn off appliances when not in use. Especially heating or cooking appliances.
• Check the wiring of electrical appliances regularly. Replace damaged cables immediately.
• Make sure large electrical appliances are installed by a professional. Especially washing machines and dryers.

3. Charge your electric vehicles safely

Causes:

• Charging electric vehicles such as cars, scooters and bicycles has a high risk of fire if they overheat, use defective batteries or unsuitable chargers.
• Lithium-ion batteries are especially dangerous if damaged or overcharged.

Tips:

• Place a smoke detector in the room where you charge your electric vehicle.
• Have the charging system checked and/or inspected by a professional in a timely manner.
• Do not leave vehicles charged unattended for long periods of time, especially overnight.
• Use only the manufacturer’s original or recommended charger. Cheap or incorrect chargers are more likely to overheat.
• Check cables and batteries regularly for wear or defects. Damaged charging cables or batteries are more likely to cause short circuits and fires.
• Make sure the cargo area is well ventilated to prevent heat buildup, especially in garages, sheds, gazebos or other enclosed areas.

4. Beware of (open) fires

Causes:

• Cigarettes not fully extinguished continue to smolder and cause fires.
• Candles placed too close to curtains or other materials cause fires

Tips:

• Never use fire accelerators to light your fireplace.
• Never leave candles or open flames unattended, even for a short time.
• Do not smoke in bed. Avoid smoking near bedding, couches or other fabrics that can easily catch fire.
• Use sturdy candle holders. Always place candles in stable holders and away from flammable materials such as curtains.
• Always extinguish cigarettes completely. Always extinguish them completely in an ashtray that tolerates heat. Be sure to always put the ashtray in a safe place and keep it away from flammable materials (such as furniture, dry grass).

5. Get your heaters serviced

Causes:

• Poorly produced electric fires overheat quickly and catch fire.
• Accumulation of soot or tar in chimneys can lead to a chimney fire.
• Placing a stove too close to furniture or curtains can cause a fire.

Tips:

• Ensure proper ventilation for heating appliances.
• Use only EU approved heating devices.
• Place electric heaters at least one meter from furniture, curtains and other flammable objects.
• Use electrical appliances according to the official manual. Read the instructions before using them.
• Do you have a chimney? Have it swept annually by a professional to prevent soot buildup.
• If required, have your appliances checked regularly (annually) by a professional. E.g. heat pump, water heater, etc.

6. Use fire-safe materials in renovations

Causes:

• Combustible building materials catch fire faster, spread faster and are more difficult to extinguish (even by the fire department). E.g., a thatched roof.

Tips:

When renovating your home, invest in fire-safe building materials. These slow the spread of fire and give you extra time to escape in the event of an emergency. Here are some examples of fire-resistant building materials:

• Steel
• Concrete
• Brick
• Toughened glass
• Cellular glass
• Gypsum (fiber) board
• Ceramic tiles
• Fire resistant glass
• Fire-resistant wood
• Fireproof paint
• Fire doors

7. Store combustibles safely

Causes:

• Flammable liquids quickly catch fire near hot surfaces or objects.
• Vapors from these liquids spread easily and explode if they come in contact with a spark, flame or static electricity.

Tips:

Store flammable products in tightly sealed containers, away from heat sources and in a cool, dry place. Always use these products according to safety regulations. Below are some examples of combustibles:

• Paint
• Glue
• Gasoline
• Engine oil
• Hairspray
• Deodorant spray
• Nail polish remover
• Detergent
• Alcohol (for cleaning or for drinking)
• …

8. Provide fire extinguishers and fire blankets

Tips:

With fire extinguishers and fire blankets, you can prevent a bigger fire. You can easily extinguish a starting fire yourself thanks to these materials:

• Place fire extinguishers in high-risk areas such as the kitchen and garage.
• In the kitchen, a fire blanket is useful for extinguishing incipient flames (e.g., on the stove).
• Teach everyone in the house how to use these materials as well.

How should you use a fire extinguisher?

1. Pull out the pin (Pull): Remove the locking pin or seal so that the lever can be pressed.
2. Aim the extinguisher at the base of the fire (Aim): Aim the hose or nozzle at the point where the fire starts (not at the flames themselves), usually at the base of the fire.
3. Squeeze the lever: Squeeze the lever to activate the extinguisher and release the extinguishing agent.
4. Sweep from left to right (Sweep): Sweep the extinguisher jet slowly from left to right across the base of the fire until it is extinguished. Keep extinguishing until you are sure the fire is completely out.

How should you use a fire blanket?

1. Remove the blanket from the package: Grasp the corners of the blanket to unfold it. Make sure your hands are protected by the blanket to protect yourself from the heat.
2. Cover the fire: Carefully place the blanket over the fire, without throwing, to seal the fire from oxygen. Cover the flames completely.
3. Leave the blanket: Leave the blanket on the fire until the fire is completely extinguished. Do not lift the blanket too early to prevent re-ignition.

Note: If someone’s clothing is on fire, carefully wrap the person in the blanket and make sure to smother the fire. Leave the blanket in place and always call emergency services.

9. Install and maintain smoke detectors properly

Tips:

Most house fires happen at night, making smoke detectors essential to alert you in time:

• Make sure you hang smoke detectors.
• Test smoke detectors every month.
• Replace the batteries in your smoke detectors every year.

  This article tells you where to put smoke detectors.

10. Make an escape plan and practice it regularly

You have an average of 3 minutes to safely exit your home in the event of a fire.

Create a clear escape plan that everyone in your home knows about

• Adjust the escape plan if you have remodeled your house or apartment.
• Make sure there are no obstacles on the escape route. E.g. closets, clothing, trash.
• Plan escape plans with multiple exits, especially from upstairs.
• Divide roles in the escape plan: Who takes your children and pets outside?
• Practice the route regularly so everyone knows what to do in case of an emergency. In a fire, every second counts.

Know what to do in case of house fire

• Stay calm.
• Warn all your roommates.
• Leave your home by the shortest route according to the escape plan.
• Make sure your house number is easy for the fire department to see.
• If smoke should occur, stay low to the ground
• Put your house keys in the same place every time, so you know where they are.
• Close all doors and windows behind you as you flee so that toxic smoke is less likely to spread.
• Are you at the safe assembly area? Then check that everyone is outside.
• Do not call 911 until you are safely outside. State your name, full address and details.

Would you like to cite this article as a source? Then use:

Stiasteny, L. (2024, Sept. 19). Home fire prevention: all the crucial tips. Apartment.be. Accessed on (date XX/XX/202X), from https://www.appartement.be/woningbrand-voorkomen-dankzij-cruciale-tips

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