This International Day of Families, Dave Breith, CEO of fire safety company, Firexo, urgently calls for families to become more aware of their fire safety and to better protect their homes against fire. This follows new research from Firexo that has found a careless approach to domestic fires is putting millions of people in the UK at risk of death or injury, with confusion and ignorance over fire safety acting as the leading cause.
The research uncovered that nearly three-quarters of UK adults do not know how to correctly put out a cooking oil fire, the most likely scenario to happen in their kitchen. Just two thirds of UK adults have equipped their homes with the most basic of fire safety tools, a smoke detector(s). Two thirds of UK adults do not have an extinguisher at home and over three-quarters do not have one in their car, leaving them with no instant means of defending themselves and their property.
Here are Dave's top ten ways to keep your family safe
1. Turn off plugs when not in use, do not overload them and check for frayed wires.
2. Have a fire escape plan to ensure you and your family know your way out in the event of a fire.
3. Keep BBQ’s away from flammable materials like fences.
4. Make fire safety fun for kids. Your local fire service will have a Kids Zone on its website with great resources.
5. Ensure cigarettes are always properly extinguished.
6. Ensure your property is fitted with a fire extinguisher to put out small fires before they become unmanageable.
7. Have a smoke alarm fitted and test it regularly. Replace every ten years.
8. Always keep lighters and matches out of reach of children.
9. Never leave candles unattended and keep them away from flammable items.
10. Ensure your chimney is swept just before the start of winter and after any period of inactivity.