 There are a couple of fire precautions that people should take when traveling by air. Of course, listen to the pre-flight safety brief.
When traveling, wear low-heel shoes, long
pants, and long sleeves. Avoid synthetic fibers
that easily catch fire, wear cotton. Count the
rows to the emergency exit so that you can
find the exit should the cabin fill with smoke
and you can't see. Cover your face with a wet
paper towel if possible. (I keep baby wipes in
my purse that would serve this purpose.)
When you are staying in a hotel, study the exit routes
from your room, the dining area and recreational areas. You may even wish to carry your own smoke detector along.
What follows are more ideas for home fire saftey:
Keep a garden hose with a nozzle
attached to a water faucet at all
times.
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Have family members keep whistles
by their beds to warn family members in case
of fire at night.
Turn off and unplug appliances when you
finish using them. (I have a friend whose
daughter used an iron in the guest room and
then left town for a week. My friend
discovered the iron on 4 days after her
daughter left! This just happened last week!)
Listen to your smoke detector so everyone can
recognize its sound in an emergency.
Replace batteries once a year (your
anniversary or birthday would be good dates).
A very good fire safety practice in our area is
to have several fire extinguishers on hand (on
each floor) and teach everyone how to use
them. Many of our homes are not near fire
hydrants. Check them once a year and
replace them when they have expired.
Smoking is the number one cause of fire, it
causes 200,000 fires a year and takes
about 1,200 lives.
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Keep your basement, attic, and other
storage areas clean. Do not store old
clothes, cardboard boxes, magazines,
newspapers, or other items that catch fire
easily.
Never run with a burning pan (The flames
could spread to you!) Cover with a lid to
put out the flames. Baking soda can also
be used to put out a kitchen fire.
One last thought about fire: Fire may not
creep slowly, it may explode. Hot air
mushrooms when it hits the ceiling, and
pours through open doorways, filling the
rooms with tremendous heat. If the air is hot
enough, it will cause the materials it
touches to ignite. Consequently, in a fire,
books, curtains, bedclothes, furniture, and
walls may all be exploding into flames at
the same instant in various parts of the
house. Your escape margin is drastically
cut.
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