Do you need a Fire Extinguisher in your Home?

There are so many ways that a fire could start in your own home, from faulty electrical goods, candles, and leaving cooking appliances unattended – just to name a few.

When in an emergency situation, you absolutely must call 999, but having a fire extinguisher in your home could help you to put out a small, contained fire before it becomes out of control. Installing fire extinguishers in your home is an effective and affordable way to increase fire safety.

What are the biggest fire hazards at home?

There are various different types of fire extinguishers that can be used depending on the nature of the fire. Before choosing which kind of product you would want in your home, you may need to consider what they would most likely be used for.

1. Cooking appliances

Almost 50% of all domestic fires are caused by cooking appliances. There are many ways a fire can start in the kitchen, ranging from loose clothing & tea towels getting into contact with the hob to grease and fat igniting while you are cooking.

Fire blankets are commonly installed in kitchens and work well for putting out fires in a fryer or pan by smothering the oxygen that fuels the fire.

2. Smoking

Smoking in the home is a major fire hazard. If your cigarette has not been disposed of correctly, you risk starting a fire. Smoking indoors is a bad idea – for example, if you fall asleep before the cigarette is out, you could put yourself and others in really serious danger. The risk factors and possible life changing scenarios are endless, so if you must smoke, outdoors is best.

Even if you just vape or use e-cigarettes then there are still fire risks involved. If there are issues with the batteries, the product is faulty or you leave it charging too long, a fire can still be caused.

3. Electrical products

Electrical products that are faulty or counterfeit items that do not work properly, products being left on too long and overheating, or overloading extension leads & sockets are all prime examples of how an electrical fire could easily start.

You should always ensure that any electrical products you use have been safety checked. This can be verified by locating the British or European safety mark on the item you have purchased.

4. Candles and open flames

You should always take extra care each and every time there is any kind of naked flame in your home. Make sure you are using a fireguard if you have an open fireplace. Candles should be placed in a non-flammable container where they cannot be knocked over. Children, pets, and flammable objects should be kept far away from open flames and these should all be put out before you leave the room or go to bed.

Having a fire extinguisher in your home could make an enormous difference in an emergency and improve your fire safety. For more information please give our friendly team a call on 01733 602955 or visit our contact page.

How to avoid an electrical fire in the home this Christmas

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And the last thing anybody wants ruining their festive period is a house fire. A serious fire in the home is devastating at any time of year, but Christmas is magical for many and the memory of a traumatic event at this time can really leave its mark for all Christmas’s to come. Not only that, but often our house is filled with expensive gifts at this time, that once gone is really difficult to replace. So, it’s truly important that we are extra cautious with our fire safety precautions at this time of year, especially because Christmas usually brings with it additional fire hazards that aren’t present all year round.  Fairy lights and overloaded plug sockets are the worst offenders at Christmas, so we need to take extra care particularly in these areas. And we must make sure that all of the smoke alarms in our homes are in good working order.

In the UK, electrical fires account for 50% of all accidental house fires. The vast majority of these are caused by appliances either being faulty or misused. Thankfully, there are lots of precautions we can take in order to minimise the risk of an electrical fire this festive season. Let’s look at what we can do to give ourselves the best chance at a jolly holly Christmas . . .

Check Christmas lights for damage

We ought to check the cables of our white goods and other electrical appliances regularly for signs of wear and tear. After you have unplugged the product, just inspect the electrical cable and wiring to see if you can see any obvious signs of erosion, or a tear in the cabling.

Christmas lights are no different. But often a safety inspection is the last thing on our minds when we’re excited to get our decorations up. Depending on how many decorations you have, it can take some time, but it’s a really important step in ensuring our decs don’t lead us to disaster. Christmas lights need to be properly maintained. Ideally, you’d have all electrical equipment, including Christmas lights, PAT tested annually. But as an absolute minimum we need to be checking the cable for signs of frayed wiring. And we ought to also check all the bulbs for cracks and if any need to be replaced, we have to make sure they are replaced with the correct type of bulb. If you see any signs of wear and tear on your Christmas lights this year, replace them – it’s simply not worth the risk. Electrical cables can be disposed of at most UK recycling centres.

If you see any sign of damage on a larger appliance, don’t use it until it can be repaired by a registered appliance repair specialist.

Don’t overload plug sockets

An overloaded plug socket, with extension leads or multi plugs, is one of the most common causes of an electrical fire. We’re more likely to use them at Christmas, because it allows us to use several devices at a time and we’ve just got more to plug in! The wall socket can easily become overloaded, which can spark an electrical fire.

To avoid this, we should only use wall plugs and extension cords when it’s absolutely necessary. Plugging multiple extension cords into one another should be avoided at all costs as this greatly increases the risk of an electrical fire.

Try your best to have a ‘one device per socket’ rule. And if you’re unsure, an electrical safety first socket overload calculator can be used online to work out which electrical products are able to be safely plugged in together.

 

Don’t skimp on charging cables

One in five UK shoppers give electrical gifts at Christmas, so if you are lucky enough to find one waiting for you under the tree – make sure you always use the charging cable that is provided by the manufacturer. If this charging cable becomes lost or damaged, make sure you buy the recommended replacement from the manufacturer and not a cheap copy.

A cheap charging cable for your device that has not been produced by either the manufacturer or by a recommended supplier can seem like a bargain. But just a few extra pounds spent on a charging cable produced or approved by the manufacturer of any device that contains a rechargeable lithium battery is the smartest choice.

Imitation chargers often put more than the recommended charge into a device, which has the potential to affect the battery and also to cause a fire.

Switch off decorations at night

Most of us love fairy lights and other light up decorations at Christmas, for making the atmosphere really festive and magical. But when we’re in our beds asleep, they’re not necessary and, like all electrical appliances, they should be switched off at night. It’s sometimes easy to fall asleep with them on, but it’s so important that we do everything we can not forget to switch them off.

And it’s not just Christmas lights. Leaving your laptop charging or running the washing machine at night also has fire creating potential. We ought to unplug all electrical appliances before we sleep, because if there’s a problem in the night we’ll be less able to respond promptly in our sleep.

We hope that our top tips for avoiding an electrical fire this Christmas help you to keep safe this year. We wish you a wonderful festive season. Please do reach out if you have any concerns about your fire and safety needs.

From all of us at Swift Fire and Safety.