{"id":29432,"date":"2019-03-25T15:18:43","date_gmt":"2019-03-25T22:18:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offgridsurvival.com\/?p=29432"},"modified":"2019-03-25T15:28:38","modified_gmt":"2019-03-25T22:28:38","slug":"firesafety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offgridsurvival.com\/firesafety\/","title":{"rendered":"Fire Safety Tips: Home Fire Prevention and Planning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Home<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On a lot of survival sites, you\u2019ll\nfind plenty of articles about how to start a fire; unfortunately, not many of\nthem focus on fire prevention or planning\nand preparing for what you should do should the worst happen and your home\nstarts on fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home Fires: How common are they and what can you do to prevent them?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The use and control of fire by people\nin order to generate light, heat and\nprepare food is considered to be one of the\ngreatest advancements of the human race. Today, we take it for granted, but it\nis used in controlled settings by us almost every day, especially in our homes.\nBut what happens when fires grow beyond our control? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home fires can be devastating,\noccur rapidly and can cause extensive damage to property and to people especially children, the elderly and\nthe disabled.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to FEMA, in 2017 there\nwere over 3,400 fatalities attributed to\nfires, with 23.0 billion dollars\u2019 worth\nof losses from over 1.3 million fires that year. And although the National\nSafety Council has reported a decrease in\nfatalities from fires, down from approximately 5,800 in 1980, the data from\nthese agencies still indicate that death and injury by fire are significantly higher than it should be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NSC reported that it is still the third leading cause of death for\nchildren between the ages of 1 to 14.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When fire strikes in the home, it is quick, and as highlighted above, it can be deadly.  It takes less than 30 seconds for a small\nfire to become a major one. However, the response time requirement for fire\ndepartments according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is 80\nseconds, which means once they hear the alarm they have 80 seconds to leave the\nstation. Now throw in travel times, which they estimate at an average of 4\nminutes from the fire station to the fire,\nand you can see that once first responders make it to the scene, there is a good chance the situation has\nalready turned deadly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fire Planning and Prevention: It’s Critical to Your Family’s Safety and Survival<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Fire<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After looking at response times, and keep in mind we didn\u2019t factor in the time it takes for\nyou to call 911 or the time it takes for them to trigger the alarm, it\u2019s important\nto look at both the fire risks in your own home and prevention methods to avoid\nmajor fires. After looking at the risks in your home, it\u2019s then important to formulate\na plan and practice responding to fire emergencies with your family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fire dangers inside your home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In\norder to understand how to prevent home fires, you must first understand\nwhat elements have to come together to produce a fire.  The fire triangle describes the three\nelements of any fire, which consists of heat, oxygen, and fuel.  To extinguish a fire,\none of these elements must be suppressed\nbecause a fire cannot be sustained\nwithout the presence of all three factors. Fires extinguishing agents such as\nwater, sand, blankets or chemical suppressing agents can remove oxygen or\nlessen heat, which in turn reduces and extinguishes the fire at its source. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Safety Council\nreports that cooking equipment is the primary cause of home fires, followed by\nsmoking. Over 50% of the residential building fire events that occurred in 2016\nwere caused by cooking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another cause that is gaining\nmore prominence as modern society and technology advances is the use of\nelectrical equipment and their associated charging devices.  Two lesser-known\nfactors that may also cause a fire are\nbatteries and pyrolysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooking-related Fires<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Cooking equipment — for example, stoves, microwaves, ovens, and toasters — can cause fires, particularly\nwhen food is left unattended.  It is\nimportant to always to monitor food while\nit is being prepared and keep young children out of the kitchen so that they don\u2019t\ninadvertently cause a fire or become burned by hot flames or surfaces.\nAdditionally, any utensils or items like oven mitts or dishcloths should be kept\naway from appliances that create heat, especially the stovetop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A quick way to extinguish minor\ncooking fires is to place the lid over the fire to remove the element of\noxygen.  This\nshould only be done if the fire is small\nand there is no risk of injury. A fire extinguisher should be kept in the\nkitchen that is capable of handling grease fires, such as an all-purpose portable ABC fire\nextinguisher.  Never use water on a\ngrease or electrical fires; this will only make a bad situation even worse, and it\nwill do nothing to extinguish the flames.\nIn fact, it could make the fire even\nlarger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smoking-related Fires<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Believe it or not, smoking is\nstill one of the top reasons for home-related fires. Throw in the legalization\nof Marijuana in many areas of the country, and\nyou have yourself a recipe for disaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For people who smoke, it is best\nto use fire-safe cigarettes and smoke\noutside whenever possible \u2013 trust me, it\u2019s not only safer, but your guests will thank you when they don\u2019t go\nhome smelling like they just walked out\nof a bar. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n