Winter is here again and out come the electric blankets and heaters, and those with a fireplace are stocking up on firewood for fuel. Snuggling up in a warm bed, or on a couch in front of a fireplace or heater while the cold winds whistle outside, is a wonderful comforting feeling. It is nice to sit with friends with a glass of wine enjoying the dancing flames in an open fireplace, but dancing flames roaring through our home unchecked is anything but nice. It is literally terrifying for anyone who finds themself in this situation, especially if there are children involved.
Hopefully you will never find yourself in this situation, but it is a good idea to make plans to deal with it in case you ever do. To protect your family and your real estate in Campbelltown, ask your local fire brigade to give you some advice on how to plan a fire drill so that you have an escape plan in place for any future need. Of course the first thing you should do is to ensure you have smoke alarms fitted and that they are in good working condition with good batteries. This is even more important for those people who are renting properties and move around a lot, as the house plan changes with each move and the family should formulate a new plan to fit the new house layout.
Make sure that everyone knows not to open a door that feels hot as it could lead to the fire leaping into the room they are in to feed on the oxygen. Keep as low as possible as heat and smoke rise, and smoke is responsible for death more so than fire. Keeping extinguishers in the home in strategic places is a good idea, and make sure that all members of the family know how to operate them. Have them tested regularly, keeping them up to date, and where possible have time set aside to test every members memory to make sure they remember how to use it in an emergency, as memory can sometimes be a fickle thing.
Fire blankets are also an item that have great value as part of an emergency fire kit so it would be wise to invest in at least one also put in a strategic position that is readily accessed. Having a retractable fire escape in a central second storey window easily accessed by all members is just another helpful idea, but is not meant to be a substitute for an escape plan and fire drills. For more information on fire safety, contact your property management Sydney office or speak to the members of your local fire brigade.
