How to protect your home and family from fire

Every year in the UK there are an estimated 60,000 house fires which cause injuries to 10,000 resulting in 500 fatalities. 

So what causes fire in our homes?

1. Smoking - This is the number one cause of fires in your home. Cigarette can burn for a long time even if it is not being puffed on. The most common way a fire is started from a cigarette is when the smoker has fallen asleep due to tiredness or drunkeness and the cigarette has come into contact with a flammable material.

• Don't smoke in a chair when tired or drunk, instead have your cigarette in the garden
• Use a flame/heat resistant ashtray
• Don't leave a lit cigarette unattended in an ashtray

   2. Candles - It's hard to imagine that those tiny little tea light candles could start off a real fire, but they can and do. Flames are flames no matter how small they look.

• Candles must be placed in a suitable holder that is heat proof and stable i.e won't fall over
• Make sure there is nothing flammable near a lit candle such as a curtain or even a shelf above it
• Never leave lit candles unattended overnight or when you leave a room

   3. Cooking - Statistically the kitchen is the most dangerous room in the house so take care. A massive cause of fire in the kitchen is chip pan/deep frying particularly if you have a gas cooking stove. Oil is highly flammable and if alight DO NOT pour water onto the flames as this will make the oil explode and cause a bigger fire.

• Never leave your cooking unattended especially if using the grill or hob
• Never place your toaster near any flammable materials such as curtains

   4. Electrical Appliances - Electricity is a major cause of fire in the home and can be very dangerous as you can't see it. The top causes of electrical fire's in your home come from faulty electrical appliances and faulty wiring. If you think your home has faulty wiring call out an electrician immediately. Potential signs of faulty wiring include; flickering lights, scorch makrs on sockets, fuses blowing and hot plugs and sockets.

• Always looks for the BEAB Mark of Safety which means the product has been through vigorous safety testing
• Always turn off a plug socket when no in use and if going on holiday
• Don't overload a plug socket by using excessive power adaptors this can cause the socket to overheat
• Take care when wiring a plug and remember - Brown to live, blue to neutral and yellow/green to earth.

How to prevent fires in your home and protect your family

The easiest way to prevent house fire is to install a smoke alarm and you can easily buy ones that test for carbon monoxide too. 

Always have a bedtime routine of checking your house. Don't just ensure all the doors and windows are locked make sure unnecessary electrical appliances are turned off at the socket and no candles or cigarettes are burning.