Oftentimes fires in the home can be preventable. So, it’s important to take action to reduce fire hazards in your home so that you can protect both your family and your house.
If you’re wondering ‘what are the risks of a fire?’, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with this initial checklist of ways to reduce the risk of a fire starting in your home.
Candles
It’s true, candles look really nice and often smell amazing! However, when lighting a candle in your home, you should always ensure that it’s on a fireproof surface and that it’s away from any flammable items like curtains, blankets etc.
Candles are a huge fire risk so it’s important to ensure that you only light them when the surrounding area is safe. Also, make sure to blow them out when you leave the room for a long period of time or when you go to bed at night.
Electrical goods
Electrical items like household appliances, wires, phone chargers and plug sockets are a serious fire hazard.
You should always switch off and unplug any electrical appliances when they are not in use e.g. kettles, hairdryers, laptops etc. Wires, like phone chargers, should also be unplugged whenever they aren’t in use. In addition to this, you should never charge anything overnight e.g. your phone or laptop. It’s important to note that while you’re asleep the signs of a fire can go undetected, so you should avoid having electrical appliances or wires plugged in overnight or while you’re sleeping.
It’s important to ensure that any white electrical goods, like your dishwasher, oven or washing machine, are well maintained. You should regularly clean your oven and the vents and filters of all appliances.
If an appliance ever begins to make unusual noises, smell or stop working, you should contact a professional to check it out before using it again.
Extension leads
If you have extension leads in your house it’s important to ensure that there aren’t too many plugs or applicances plugged into one power socket as this could cause an overload of electricity. It’s also important to ensure that you don’t have too many wires plugged into an extension lead as this could also cause an overload.
So, be mindful when using extension leads and only use them when necessary.
Cookware
Cooking equipment like frying pans, woks and grills etc. can catch fire quickly and easily. So it’s important to always keep your eye on equipment like this when you are cooking as they can overheat and catch fire quite easily because of the oil that is often used in the cooking process.
TVs on standby
When a TV is on standby, electricity is still running through the wire. This could cause a fire by the overheating or short-circuiting of the wire. So, please make sure to unplug your TV when you’re finished using it!
Fire alarms
This may seem obvious, but it’s so important that all homes have a working fire alarm. So, if you don’t have a fire alarm in your home, this is your sign to go out and buy one! You can purchase them in most DIY shops. A fire alarm could literally save your life and your family's lives, so they are definitely worth installing in your home if you don’t already have one.
If you do already have a fire alarm in your home, it’s important to regularly test it to ensure that it’s working. You can easily test your fire alarm by pressing the button on the face of it and waiting for the alarm to go off.
Also, please note that if your fire alarm begins to make a noise every few minutes, this is a sign that the battery is low and needs to be replaced. So, please don’t ignore these sounds. All you need to do is simply change the battery in your fire alarm and it will be back in working order!
Property insurance with AXA
Are you looking for home insurance? Here at AXA, we provide options for both buildings insurance and contents insurance.
So, if you have any questions about which home insurance option is the best for you, don’t hesitate to contact our team. They’ll be happy to answer your queries and provide you with a home insurance quote.
