Cohka’s Place

Fire Safety and Mattresses

One of the last thoughts that come in the mind when we go to sleep in that soft pampering mattress is the fire safety. In fact how many times in life did we ever think about fire safety when going to bed? The answer is probably never. According to statistics from CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) about 365 people die every year from mattress related fires every year i.e. about one death a day due attributed to mattress related fires. After reading this statistics you might be compelled to rethink about the present sleeping arrangements and have a look at the insurance policies. Mattress manufacturers per federal requirements are required to comply with a fire repellant regulation that saves many lives. The new regulation will make it more stringent for the manufacturers to make mattresses which are more fire proof to fires that take place due to lighters, matches, candles etc.

While the regulations dealing with mattress fires do not completely eliminate the chances of fires but these regulations may give that extra little time to save them from fire. As many of us know that it?s only a matter of few seconds for fire to surround a mattress. But the mattresses that are manufactured keeping in mind the above regulation burns much slower thus giving more time for the victims to escape fire and save from injury or death. Fires caused due to mattresses are one of the leading causes of death for kids, one of the reasons why it?s so important to take safety precautions of highest order. Some of them are discussed as follows.

First thing to be careful about is not to smoke in bed, according to many statistics, smoking in bed is one of the biggest causes of mattress fires. Smoking in bed has led to many unintentional fatal fires in many homes. It should be noted that if the mattress is manufactured after the year of 1973, it must resist cigarette ignition, so always look for this important factor. The new regulation of July, 2007 would also require manufacturers to make mattresses to resist against open flame also. The next thing to take care of is the candles. Everybody likes to decorate their homes with beautiful and aromatic candles but would they every want to turn their house into an ugly burnt house with the same candles? Nobody would ever want to do that. So, always be watchful when lighting candles and put them off as when done. Also, do not ever leave the candles to burn and go to bed, this can be a potential fire hazard which can engulf whole house into flames within minutes.

Also, teach the children to not to play with matches or lighters or candles. Children are always fascinated by something that burns, so always keep a watchful eye even if you have taught them not to light them. An important step towards the safety of every inmates of the house is to install fire and smoke alarms in every bedroom of the house. But, do not forget to check the alarm batteries regularly; failing to do so could result in alarm failing when actually needed. Make it a point to replace the batteries of the alarms yearly.

The CPSC estimates say that more than 1,330 injuries and 365 deaths will be prevented every year due to the new regulation brought into ordinance in July, 2007. While it?s very hard to predict a fire for anyone but there are always ways to prepare just in case if one occurs. Apart from taking precautionary measures we must also make sure that we have home insurance or renter?s insurance to cover monetary and life damages. Insurance pays for the unexpected and it is not unusual for unexpected to happen. We may not be able to eliminate the chances of unexpected but we can definitely prepare for it and insurance is one of the best ways to prepare for the unexpected.

Outdoor Fire Safety

When fire proofing your home the inside is a very big part of the inspection indeed but do not forget that the outside is also a safe haven for fires. You should keep in mind that the outside is also part of your home, so do not neglect to check the patio, the backyard, the roof as well as the garden. Minimizing the hazards in these areas is just as important as the dangers indoors. One example of a fire hazard that exists outdoors is storing of wood. When warehousing wood in your backyard it is imperative that you follow the basic preliminary fire prevention rules in order to diminish the chance of wood catching fire which can cause much larger scale disaster. That is why it is important to maintain your wood in safe manner, in order to reduce the occurrence of the fires as well as the strength and size of the fire. One of the first steps to take when making sure that the fire is stored safely is to make at least a 30 feet safety perimeter around the area that the wood is being stored.

An example of a good safety clearance is a green lawn that is free of any types of fire hazards such as flammable debris, toys or lawn ornaments. Now when it comes to plants and fire, there are a lot of plants that are fire resistant; some more than others, it is good to plant these in the area designated as the safety zone. Even though these plants may be fire resistant, it is imperative that you get rid of any dry leaves, dead limbs, twigs, and rubble that surround the plant(s); preventing these things from fueling a small fire that can escalate into a larger much more intense fire.

Also take time to survey the roofing material on your home. In previous years many roofs on homes were built with many risky, combustible materials causing a large amount of homeowners to lose their homes; these losses were directly linked to the roof catching fire. Nowadays there are new and improved roofing materials offered to promote fire safety. When having your home built or either when choosing a home, it would be wise to choose a home that uses non-combustible roofing materials. There are many non-combustible roofing materials available, including: Class A Shingles, Metal or Terra Cotta. If your roof has already been built and it doesn?t need to be replaced, then you do have the option of treating your roof with fire retardant procedures to reduce the flammability of the roof until it can be replaced.

One last thing to pay attention to when fire proofing the outdoor is barbecue grills. Barbecue grills involve a lot of upkeep. You should clean your grill regularly, and make sure to keep it free of dirt and dust buildup. It would be much easier on you to maintain if you made it your goal to clean the grill after every use paying close attention to dust and cobwebs that may have accumulated. Also make it a habit to check all water hoses in the yard for cracks and to make sure it is in good condition; these are also fire hazards. Last but not least if you use propane tanks, check to see if it is damaged in any way. It is very dangerous to use damaged propane tanks. They are very combustible and can cause major damage.

Choosing a Fire Extinguisher for your Home

When it comes to the correct steps in battling against house fires, having a fire extinguisher handy is the first rule of thumb to follow. This will be your number one line of defense before the fire officials arrive. It is a good idea to have at least two fire extinguishers in your home. There are five elements that are present when a fire occurs: oxygen, heat, fuel, and some type of chemical reaction. All of these five elements form what is known as the fire triangle. Once the fire triangle is identified then the fire can be eradicated by either taking away or isolating any one of those elements of the triangle from all the rest of the elements in order to prevent a house fire.

Today?s market offers various types of fire extinguishers. It is very important that you use the accurate fire extinguisher when trying to put out a fire. If you use the incorrect type of fire extinguisher there may be a problem trying to diminish the fire therefore making the extinguisher ineffective. As a matter of fact using the wrong type of conformity can cause the fire to reignite after seemingly putting out the fire. Make sure you do your research before purchasing a fire extinguisher, since most suppliers are ignorant to the suitable types of fire extinguishers for your home; it is diplomatic to do a thorough check on your extinguishers in your home.

When classifying the types of fires there are three categories they fall up under. The first class is called a Class A fire; these fires are mostly caused by burning wood, paper, cloth, plastics etc. The second class of fires is called Class K fires. These types of fires normally originate in the kitchen; they involve cooking oil, vegetable fats and animal fats. The last class of fires is called Class C fires; these fires occur with electrical equipment such as motors, transformers and other appliances. The recommended fire extinguisher for homes is called a Dry chemical extinguisher. It works efficiently on Class A as well as Class C fires. The way it extinguishes the fire is simply by doing away with the chemical reaction part of the Fire triangle. This extinguisher creates a barricade in between the oxygen and the combustible elements of a Class A fire.

Another type of fire extinguisher available on the market is a Water mist extinguisher which is mainly for wood, paper, or cloth fires; however it is also effective as well as safer for use on Class C fires. It eliminates the heat portion of the triangle. Next there is a Cartridge operated dry chemical extinguisher. These types of extinguisher are very pocket-friendly for small to mid-size fires in the home. Nonetheless there are other types available that can only be used for specific fires. These models include water and foam extinguishers; these are only effective when used on a Class A fire. It should never be used on Class C fires which involve electrical equipment and cause someone to be electrocuted. Also Carbon dioxide extinguishers, which can be used for Class C fires (i.e. electrical).These are just a few of the many products offered to protect your home. Remember a fire extinguisher should be preserved in accordance with the relevant local rules.

Fire Safety Equipment

When it comes to the safety of our homes or the offices in which we work in, from the threat of fire, we look up to certain equipment or tools which are helpful in providing us with the maximum safety. House fires have become a common subject and every year many homes all around the world fall prey to the ruthless house fires which huff and puff and blow the homes down like the evil fox from the infamous story. They have now become the centre of discussion for many people and these people are constantly looking forward to find better ways to fight against such kinds of house fires.

These methods of prevention need to be very effective and also, very efficient. If you look at recent studies, you will see that in the United States of America alone, homes worth millions of dollars are burnt as a result of house fires. This house fires leave the individual owners completely helpless.

Let?s imagine an individual who works a nine till five job everyday and let’s say he is working in order to be able to build his dream home. He has been working for the last 30 years without a break and has been doing so in order to provide his family with the perfect home. After sometime, he finally succeeds in getting his dream home, by re-arranging the finances that he got as a result of different pension schemes and other retirement benefits. Just as he started enjoying the sweet success and the amazing home that he built, one day a tragedy took place which changed everything overnight.

While he and his loved ones were sleeping, a fire broke out in the house and not one of the family members woke up or realized. This is because he didn’t have a fire alarm. As a result of this disaster, the house was burnt and turned to ash in just a few small hours. His beloved daughter was caught up in the fire and unfortunately she could not be rescued. The firefighters informed the family after a considerable delay, that she had become a victim to the ruthless fire. This is not an imaginary story but a story that you will hear about on the news or in the newspapers in every city around the world. With disasters such as these that are widely known about, you would think that home owners would spend more time and money in fire-proofing their house, and ensuring alarm systems were built, not only to protect their homes, but to protect themselves and their families as well!

Therefore, there has always never been a better time to ensure that you have the best equipment for fighting fire in order to make yourself and your loved ones more secure and safe. You need to have the best equipment in the house available so at a time of an unexpected fire, you can at least rescue your family and get them out of the house as soon as possible.

There are many things that are used for the safety of an unexpected fire within your home. We all know about the different things, which can save us in times of a firebreak out in the house. Let?s talk about fire extinguishers. They are the greatest fire fighting tool that has been ever created by humans and it is the best thing that we can have in our homes in order to extinguish a fire or at least try to have some sort of control over it. Fire extinguishers can be easily found in many stores and shops and there should be at least a couple of them in your home. They should be hanging on the walls instead of being dumped in the storerooms or cellars! They should be somewhere where they can be easily found and used.

After fire extinguishers, another thing that can help us in taking control over the house fire is the fire alarm. It is the best equipment and a very useful thing that can easily tell us about the fire. There should be a large quantity of fire alarms in your home. There should be a single fire alarm in every room of the house and in the washrooms also. They should be everywhere as to provide you with the maximum levels of safety.

These are just two of the most important pieces of fire equipment which can be used in the house in order to ensure you can not only tell when there is a fire in your home, but also so that you can attempt to put it out, circumstances allowing. You should make sure that this is the minimum level of fire safety equipment that you have in your house to be able to keep you and your loved ones safe!

Fire Safety and RV?s

RVs which stand for Recreational Vehicles, the name itself tells the whole thing i.e. RVs are meant for recreational purposes. But have we ever thought about things that deal with the safety of the RVs. Most RVs whether it be small or big, or any type are pretty sophisticated when it comes to safety devices and are equipped with state of the art devices to ensure the safety of the passengers. So, every owner of the RV should know what they are and how to use them in case of an emergency. Some of them are for fire safety too.

There are 4 common types of fire safety devices or extinguishers available i.e. A, B, C & D. Every alphabet represents an extinguisher for specific kind of a fire. But it is not unusual to find an extinguisher which as ratings like AB or BC or even ABC. What this signifies is that one kind of extinguisher can be used to extinguish the fires of other types. The NFPA requires that all RV?s have a BC rated extinguisher near the key exit. These types of extinguishers are primarily used to extinguish fires that are caused by liquids which are combustive in nature and also gases like oil, gasoline and grease. A BC type can also be used to extinguish electrical fires.

Most fires that breakout in the RVs are type A which are mainly caused due to combustive materials like paper for instance which means it would need a extinguisher of Type A to extinguish the fire. But, it wouldn?t be a bad idea if you have more than one kind of fire extinguisher in the RV, preferably a BC type. Also, it would be a nice idea to keep the extinguisher as handy as possible so that if a fire breaks out it is very easy to find. Also, if one is towing a trailer it is a good idea to have a BC type extinguisher handy.

But, would keeping these extinguishers in the RV alone serve the purpose? The answer is no. Unless and until one doesn?t have the correct knowledge of which extinguisher is used for which type of fire they serve no purpose. So, one should for what type of fire a particular type of extinguisher is used and also let everyone know in the RV about it. It is a good idea to have an orientation before starting the journey to let everybody know about its usage and location in case of an emergency. Labeling the extinguishers A or B or C or D is outdated and one should have a picture showing what kind of fire it may be used for. If is used to extinguish multiple kinds of fires then it should have the pictures for all types. It should also have a picture with a diagonal line indicating for which kind of fire it shouldn?t be used. After everybody learns about various kinds of extinguishers they should be trained to use the extinguisher properly.

Although there are many kinds of extinguishers, they more or less work in the same fashion. The most important thing is to remember ?PASS? which is an abbreviation of Pull, Aim, Squeeze and Sweep. Pull means, you have to pull the pin that is located right extinguisher?s top. Aim means, to aim extinguisher?s nozzle on fire?s base. The next command Squeeze means, squeezing the handle standing about eight feet away from the blaze. One should free the handle if one wants to stop. The last command, Sweep, is to extinguish the fire by sweeping the extinguisher across the fire until it is extinguished. Remember to wait and see to make sure that it doesn?t get reignited again. Also, the foremost thing to remember is the self safety and other?s safety and it shouldn?t be risked in the course of extinguishing a fire. The wisest thing would be to take everyone out and away from fire. Then the immediate step to take is to call 911 at the earliest.