Fire is something that scares just about everyone is it is nearly impossible to contain and cause people to panic. Whether working in a commercial space or worrying about a fire wreaking havoc on your home, they way you can deal with fire and preventing it is somewhat similar.
What is unique about fire safety is that it involves you being very proactive with your planning so that you are not dealing with issues as a fire is happening. The best advice for fire safety is to have a plan in place so that you and everyone else can get out safely.
Are Fires a Serious Threat?
Many people think that fire is some foreign idea that could never harm them or their property. Unfortunately, fires happen every day across the country and leave homes and businesses in ruin. Not only is fire a serious threat when it happens, but there are such a wide array of things that can cause it to happen.
When the flames subside and you think the damage is done, you then have to work with a fire restoration team to make sure the property is even safe to work or live in again. No matter the size of the blaze, any fire is a serious fire.
Let’s look at the essentials of fire safety to make sure you’re ready for whatever fire issues you may face.
Essentials of fire Safety
Know What Causes Them
To start out your understanding of fire safety, you and whoever you are around needs to understand the basics of fire starting. In nearly every fire incident, there is a level of human error that causes a fire to start and get out of control. In the workplace, you can see people burning food in microwaves or starting an electric fire without even realizing what happened.
At home, the kitchen is a fire magnet as food and cooking materials are often very flammable. Letting food sit in the heated oven for too long or not knowing how to deal with a grease fire can all lead to disaster. Even objects as welcoming as a candle or Christmas tree left unattended can turn your home from a place of comfort into a ruin.
Know Where They Happen
In most cases, fires can be traced back to one specific incident that caused a fire to grow and get worse. Across the country, most fires are cooking related and are started somewhere in the kitchen. As we mentioned earlier, the presence of numerous flammable materials and high heat make kitchens a fire’s perfect place to start.
Additionally, you can often find fires starting and growing in areas that are full of flammable materials. For example, commercial spaces with lots of flammable material stacked closely together allows just one small electrical spark to bring down an entire building. While a fire can really happen anywhere, being especially careful in the kitchen and near electricity will reduce risk greatly.
Know What to do
What causes most fires to become an issue in homes and businesses is when people don’t have a plan. Having a plan for everyone to get out safely and attempt to stop the fire should be mandatory for any environment. A fire plan tells everyone where they need to go and how they need to get there when fire becomes a threat.
Other than getting everyone to safety, there are other plans you may want to make. For example, having someone who is tasked with calling a firefighting team and someone who turns off power to the building if safe to do so will prevent more damage that could have been prevented. A business team or family who knows what to do when fire strikes will be ready to deal with and minimize panic.
Know How To Stop Them
Depending on the size of the fire, you may or may not be able to deal with controlling it. For something small like burnt food or a small fire, you may be able to put it out yourself if you have a fire extinguisher on hand or something to put out the flame with.
For larger fires and situations where smoke is filling a room, it is in everyone’s best interest to focus on getting to safety. Once you pull the fire alarm and have the sprinklers go off, there is little else you can effectively do until help arrives.
Know How to Recover from Them
With the fire put out and the damage done, it is time to get back on your feet and figure out how to move forward. With both the damage from the fire itself and the water that was used to get the blaze controlled you will likely have quite a bit of work to get done.
Thankfully for businesses and families that need help with the fire and water clean up, teams like VRS are always eager to come and help out with restoration needs. You can get a restoration team out to inspect the damage to see what fire and water issues you may be dealing with. Depending on the scale of the fire, you may be able to get some restoration and repair work done and be back to business in no time at all.
Fire can be a scary thought to think of dealing with but is something we all need to be ready for. Even something as small as a burnt dinner can catch people by surprise and leave them not knowing how to react.
When your business and home members know what to expect from fires and how to react to them, everyone can get out safe and damage can be minimized. Just remember that having a plan is going to be your best bet in any location.
Contact VRS!
Prevent and recover from fire with VRS so we can help you get back on your feet when fire strikes.
