It’s time for a fire safety in March recap!
As we come to the end of the month, we must look at all of our resources that help us better understand fire safety. This means educating ourselves about the common reasons for a smoke detector beeping and what we should do next, the importance of fire extinguisher maintenance, and the common causes of a gas explosion and how to prevent them.
Read further for more details.
Smoke Detector Beeping? Common Reasons And What To Do Next
There’s nothing more annoying than your smoke detector beeping when there’s no smoke. The sound starts to grate right away, and your first thought is to just take it off the wall and pull the batteries. As tempted as you are though, don’t do it. If it’s beeping, that’s a sign that you need to pay attention to it.
Before you assume that there’s something wrong with your smoke detector, you need to ensure that there isn’t a fire in your home. As Guardian Protection points out, there could be a fire beginning somewhere that you can’t see. Check everywhere first, to ensure that you don’t actually have a fire on your hands.
Also, be aware of the smoke alarm type that you have. Do you have a battery operated one, or a hard wired one? Hard wired models usually have battery backups, so be aware of that. Also, do you have a newer ‘smart’ smoke alarm? These alarms may not beep at the detector, but instead at a control panel. They may even send you alerts to your phone. If you have an alert, you’ll need to verify or cancel in a couple of minutes, before the fire department is alerted.
Fire Extinguisher Maintenance: Why Is It Important?
Fire extinguishers are usually your first line of defense against a fire. They are an excellent means of fighting fires, as they are portable and easily used. If you have them in your building, then they need to be inspected and maintained regularly. Why is fire extinguisher maintenance so important, and how do you go about this?
A fire extinguisher is one of the best ways to tackle smaller fires. If you feel safe to do so, using an extinguisher will help put a fire out before it has the chance to spread and cause more damage. To that end, they are usually the best way to tackle a blaze, that is, if the fire extinguisher maintenance is upheld.
They’re also an excellent firefighting tool as they come in several different types. Different types of fires need different materials to put them out, depending on the fuel being consumed. A dry chemical extinguisher can put out a class A, B or C fire. A foam one, on the other hand, can tackle A, B, and D fires, depending on the foam type being used. With the right extinguishers in your building, you’ll be ready for anything.
Common Causes Of A Gas Explosion And How To Prevent It
You’ll sometimes hear of a gas explosion in the news, and on TV it looks frightening. Some gas explosions are certainly dangerous, causing large amounts of property damage, injury, and even death. Whether you’re a homeowner or a business owner, you need to be aware of the dangers of gas explosions, and how they affect you.
How wary should you be about gas explosions? You should be aware of how dangerous gas is, as it’s something that’s used in almost every building. Natural gas is used for heating homes, heating water, and cooking appliances such as stoves. With this in mind, you need to understand the dangers that are present.
If you’re using newer appliances, such as a newer HVAC system, then there’s going to be less risk of a gas explosion happening in your home or business. Older appliances though won’t have the same safety features, and so they cause more of a risk.
The NFPA reports that an average of 4,200 fires a year are started by the ignition of natural gas. These fires cause an average of 42 deaths and 140 injuries. Over half of those fires are started by cooking appliances, so you can see how important it is to maintain any cooking equipment in the building.
With this in mind, you’ll need to be aware of how a gas explosion will come about.
Final Thought
It can be tiresome to find the most factual and effective information about fire safety matters. But what we’ve gathered here is a great start to guide you in the right direction. Connect with a fire safety consultant for further assistance.