Family Fire Safety - How to Reduce the Risk of Burn Injury

Few things scare parents more than the idea of waking up in the middle of the night to the smell of smoke and the heat of flames bearing down on the bedroom door. Questions race through mind at just the thought of it. Would we know in time? Could we get everyone out of the house safely? Kansas City families can take steps to help prevent fires and protect their family members in the unfortunate event that one does occur.

Take Steps to Protect Your Family Now

Hopefully you will never face the terror of a house fire. Long before you ever have to face a house full of smoke, you can institute safeguards that will give your family the best chance to make it out alive. One of the single most important things you can do is to install working smoke detectors on every floor of the house. Smoke detectors alert the family when smoke is present. A smoke detector should also be placed outside of each sleeping area.

Smoke detectors that are not functioning properly will not do any good, so be vigilant about maintaining the smoke detectors in your house. Most alarms will have a test function that will allow you to check to see if the alarm will sound. Test the alarms monthly.

Smoke alarms are powered by either batteries or can be hardwired into the home's electrical system. Electric smoke alarms should also feature a battery back-up, in case there is a power outage followed by a fire. Make it a priority to replace the batteries in the smoke detectors every six months. If you learn to correspond the change with daylight savings time, you will be less likely to forget.

Once you have the smoke detectors in place, you need a fire escape plan. As you change the smoke alarms batteries, run your family through a fire drill. Plan an escape from at least two separate exits. Pick a place to meet, far away from the home. Teach your children to leave everything behind, save nothing but yourselves. Emphasize that valuables, no matter how precious, can be replaced. Family members cannot.

Proactive Steps

One of the best ways to practice fire safety is to work to prevent a fire in the first place. From an early age, teach youngsters that fire is not a toy. Children are intrinsically curious. There is no substitute for keeping things put up and out of reach. Use childproof lighters. Never buy strike-anywhere matches, they are too easy for children to ignite.

There are also many preventative measures you can take to help avoid fires in the kitchen. Never leave any appliance unattended while it is on. Keep pan handles turned inward to prevent burns to small children who may pull the pans off the stove. Stovetop controls should be on the back of the stove rather than down in front and close to small hands. In case a grease fire starts, smother the flames by placing a lid over the top of the pan. Additionally, every kitchen should be equipped with a fire extinguisher, and every person in the household old enough to cook should know how to work the fire extinguisher with confidence.

Other dangers lurk in the home as well. Space heaters are often very dangerous. Never leave a space heater unattended, near children, or too close to flammable materials. Space heaters should be at least three feet from furniture, drapes, or clothing.

Be extremely cautious with cigarettes. Smokers cause more fatal fires in North America than any other source. Never allow someone to smoke in bed in your home. Check and recheck to ensure all cigarette butts are fully put out before you retire for the evening.

Finally, in case a fire does ignite, learn the basics of first aid for burns. Keep supplies on hand to treat burns immediately at home. Instruct family members to stop, drop, and roll of they are on fire. Learning the basics of fire safety can save the lives of your loved ones.

If you have been injured or a loved one has suffered needlessly from the negligence of another person, the personal injury lawyers at Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys offer a free consultation. For more information, contact us at 888-348-2616.

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