Public Service Announcement
From Red..
As I was sitting last night, surrounded by candle light, talking with my love on the phone, being nauseated by the smell of lamp oil, and snuggling with a fire extinguisher.. .. what? What were you expecting?
Anyway. Last night we lost power as we so often do when storms move in. I had the hurricane lamp burning, candles dotted around the room for vision. The fire extinguisher was an after thought.
However, it did make me realize how important they are. You should have one in the obvious places like the kitchen, near a fireplace etc. But.. You should also have one in each bed room.
In the event of a house fire you may not be able to extinguish the blaze but you CAN clear a path to an exit for yourself. You can pick up fire extinguishers fairly cheaply, usually for less than the price of a pair of jeans.
Children should be thought how to use them and given the knowledge of what to do in the event of a fire. If possible buy a very cheap/small one and let your child put out a small camp fire, demonstrating and explaining the best way to use it. If you aren't comfortable doing that, call your local fire department and see if you and your child(ren) can go up there and get a hands on demonstration. Make sure everyone in the house knows where they are located.
This time of year you hear a lot about house fires, but it's not a seasonal thing. Spend the money, buy a few extra extinguishers and Velcro them to the underside of the bed frame... What do you have to lose by doing so? Not much.. What can you gain? Your life, your child's life, even the life of a pet.
It's worth it.
As I was sitting last night, surrounded by candle light, talking with my love on the phone, being nauseated by the smell of lamp oil, and snuggling with a fire extinguisher.. .. what? What were you expecting?
Anyway. Last night we lost power as we so often do when storms move in. I had the hurricane lamp burning, candles dotted around the room for vision. The fire extinguisher was an after thought.
However, it did make me realize how important they are. You should have one in the obvious places like the kitchen, near a fireplace etc. But.. You should also have one in each bed room.
In the event of a house fire you may not be able to extinguish the blaze but you CAN clear a path to an exit for yourself. You can pick up fire extinguishers fairly cheaply, usually for less than the price of a pair of jeans.
Children should be thought how to use them and given the knowledge of what to do in the event of a fire. If possible buy a very cheap/small one and let your child put out a small camp fire, demonstrating and explaining the best way to use it. If you aren't comfortable doing that, call your local fire department and see if you and your child(ren) can go up there and get a hands on demonstration. Make sure everyone in the house knows where they are located.
This time of year you hear a lot about house fires, but it's not a seasonal thing. Spend the money, buy a few extra extinguishers and Velcro them to the underside of the bed frame... What do you have to lose by doing so? Not much.. What can you gain? Your life, your child's life, even the life of a pet.
It's worth it.
posted by Anonymous at
5:26 PM
2 Comments:
Thank you for posting this Red...so very true, especially at this time of year with fire places being lit for the first time in months and candles being lit. It takes no time at all for a fire to catch and spread.
By
Anonymous, at 10:49 AM
Been there and done that, and not around this time of year, but in the first week of April. I don't think people realize the dangers beyond just the flames which can spread so incredibly fast. Just another minute or two and I wouldn't be here right now. I would have been trapped in a bathroom with no way out. We did get out, but the heat was far too intense to save our cats. Only one survived, and we don't know how. (The heat destroyed more than the flames, as did the soot and water)
Fire extinguishers are as much a necessity as smoke detectors, and your suggestion to teach the children to use them is a great idea.
. . . it just happens so fast.
By
Justice, at 12:27 PM
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