Do you know that an average of 400,000
home fires happen yearly. These fires cause an average death 5000 civilian
deaths, 20,000 civilian fire injury and 500 billion naira in direct damage. The
statistics are very alarming as regard the colossal losses recorded
in home fires.
The reasons are varied from cooking
equipments, smoking, high voltage supply etc. A very vital protective and
preventive tool is the fire extinguisher. It is unfortunate that most homes do
not have this relatively cheap but important home equipment.
Why spend so much on your exquisite
homes and find it difficult to protect them with serviced fire extinguishers? I
know you will say "Isn't that the reason for buying insurance?'' Insurance
is bought in order to give protection against fire but fire insurance will not
cover deaths that may result from home fires? As the saying goes, prevention is
better than cure.
Here is a brief report by Mr Tunde on
how his family and assets were saved by a fire extinguisher.
"Firefighters were called to my
home on a Wednesday morning after a laptop computer burst into flames.
My wife, Kenny, was at home reading e-mail on a different computer when
the Sony Vaio laptop computer caught fire. "Flames started to shoot out
from all different directions” Kenny said.
She put out the fire with a fire
extinguisher and called me at work to tell what happened. "(The
laptop) burst into flames again while she was on the phone with him. She had it
put out by the time everyone got here," Ahmed said. His laptop
computer was turned off, but was charging at the time of the fire. He said the
only damage was a smudge on the wall and fire extinguisher dust on the
furniture."
Having a serviceable fire extinguisher
help prevent fire outbreak. Installing fire extinguishers seem to be the first
step but what is more important is the state of the extinguishers at the point
of need. How do you identify an empty fire extinguisher. How often do you need
to service them. Where should they be located?
How do you use the fire extinguisher?
Below is an easy acronym that drives home these tips
Remember the word P.A.S.S when using a
fire extinguisher:
P – Pull the pin and hold the
extinguisher with the nozzle pointing away from you.
A – Aim low. Point the extinguisher at
the base of the fire.
S – Squeeze the lever slowly and
evenly.
S – Sweep the nozzle from side to side
It is important to use fire
extinguishers with caution.
Use a portable fire extinguisher ONLY
if you have been trained by the fire department and in the following conditions:
- The fire is confined to a small area, and is
not growing.
- The room is not filled with smoke.
- Everyone has exited the building.
- The fire department has been called.
The fire extinguisher is the first line
of defence against fire outbreak. If detected early, fire extinguishers can
help put off home fires before it becomes an uncontrollable fire. Stay safe,
install and make use of fire extinguisher today.
Your safety should be a priority.
Share your thoughts with us and we will
be glad to hear from you.
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assets and properties, click http://tinyurl.com/jual2z9
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