In Which Rooms of the Home Should You Have a Fire Extinguisher? |
Posted: December 16, 2020 |
Having one solitary fire extinguisher hidden away in a cupboard is not enough. It would be best if you had several extinguishers place at strategic points around the home. The average house contains lots of combustible materials. But if you have a fire extinguisher, you will be able to extinguish small fires before too much damage is done. The best type of extinguishers for home use are ABC fire extinguishers. These fire extinguishers are suitable for combustible solids and burning liquids. ABC fire extinguishers are also safe to use on electrical fires. Fire extinguishers are not the prettiest things to have hanging on a wall. However, these crucial firefighting devices could prevent a small fire from becoming a major incident. Here the critical places in a home to keep a fire extinguisher. 1. Kitchen The kitchen is where most house fires start. So, this is one room in eth house where a fire extinguisher is essential. A fire extinguisher should be kept close to the stove, but not so close that a fire on the stove could prevent you from reaching the extinguisher. It is also advisable to keep a fire market in the kitchen for dealing with grease and fat fires. A fire blanket can also be used to extinguish the flames if a person's clothes catch fire. 2. Sources of Heat A fire extinguisher could also be kept close to any heat sources, including open fireplaces, portable heaters, and fixed heaters. Again, the extinguisher should be not be stored too close to a source of heat. Instead, keep the extinguisher somewhere you will be able to reach it quickly if the heat source were to cause a fire. 3. One on Every Floor of the Home It is advisable to have at least one general-purpose fire extinguisher on every floor of your home. The extinguishers should be kept in an easy to reach location, and everyone living in the house needs to know where the extinguishers are kept. Many house fires indeed start in the kitchen. However, fire can break out anywhere in the home. And don't forget to install a fire extinguisher in the attic and the basement. 4. Garage You likely have flammable materials in your garage. If you have a workshop, then that will probably contain fire hazards too. So, it is available to keep a fire extinguisher in these locations as well. In places where there are flammable liquids, make sure that your fire extinguisher is suitable for use on the types of materials. An ABC class fire extinguisher can be used on flammable liquids. 5. Bedrooms Most fires happen at night, so it would be best to have a fire extinguisher in or near bedrooms. In children's rooms, though, be sure to choose a fire extinguisher that is small enough for a child to handle. If the children are old enough, they should be taught how to use a fire extinguisher. If you have young children, it would still be advisable to keep an extinguisher in their rooms. Then, you won't need to go hunting for an extinguisher if you discover a fire in your child's room. Conclusion When it comes to fire safety, you can never be overcautious. Make sure you have smoke alarms on every floor of the house. And keep a fire extinguisher in all the strategic locations mentioned above. But never try to tackle an out of control blaze yourself. If the flames are above head height, get you and your family out of the house and call the fire department. Image by TAugustine from Pixabay.
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