In life, accidents are unavoidable. Life is unpredictable and, tragically, serious accidents often happen at home. However, it is possible to minimise the damage caused by these occurrences by making sure that your home is equipped with essential safety items. To know what safety items you need, you’ll have to evaluate your home to determine which disasters or accidents are most likely to occur. Even though most of the safety items are essential for every home, others could be specific depending on the nature of the house.
Here are five safety essentials that every home should have.
Fire Blanket
According to the Victoria Country Fire Authority, the top 3 causes of house fires are cooking (28%), electrical (25%) and heating (17%). According to the statistics, the room in the house where a fire is most likely to start is the kitchen. So, having a fire blanket in the kitchen might help you contain kitchen fires before they become uncontrollable.A fire blanket puts fires out by starving them of oxygen. The fire blanket itself cannot catch fire as it is made of a 100% fireproof material.
Fire blankets can also be crucially helpful should someone’s clothing catch fire whilst cooking. Following these simple steps can help put out a frightening clothing fire: position the person on the ground and cover their body tightly with the fire blanket, the blanket will smother the flames, starving them of oxygen. In this case, a fire blanket is safer than a fire extinguisher as it is less likely to harm the person whose clothes are on fire.
First Aid Kit
Every home, especially one with kids, should always have a first aid kit in a visible location. We want our homes to feel safe but the reality is, accidents can occur at any time. Having a first aid kit can help save lives in case of an emergency, as well as to treat regular injuries like cuts and bruises. You can purchase a pre-stocked kit or you can buy the essential materials and make your own.An excellent first aid kit should contain essentials like bandages, a pair of tweezers, adhesive tape and a sanitizer. Most home injuries are minor, but having a fully stocked first aid won’t hurt. Ensure that your kit is up-to-date by immediately replacing every used item and regularly checking the expiry dates.
Smoke Alarm
In the United States, 51.6% of all residential building fires are cooking related. These simple or careless errors can prove fatal but having a smoke detector in every room can help you escape flames before they are uncontrollable.
Smoke detectors have the ability to detect smoke or fumes before they become full-blown flames, giving you enough time to contain the fire. Make sure that you test the detectors once every month and that you replace the batteries at least once a year.
Carbon Monoxide Detector
Just like the smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector helps in ensuring that there are no toxic fumes in your home. Carbon monoxide is incredibly dangerous and can be fatal. Adding to the danger is the fact that carbon monoxide is practically undetectable, meaning you cannot smell or see carbon monoxide even when it is in high concentration. A detector can save your life by raising the alarm whenever there are such gases inside the house.Emergency Plan
Some of the things to think about when coming up with the exit plan include:
- How you would get out of the house if you can’t get downstairs.
- Is there a window that you can use as the exit?
- Is there a ladder or any other means to get to the ground safely?
- What numbers to call in case of an emergency?
- Where are the safety items like first aid kits and fire extinguishers kept?
Similarly, having just the plan in your head is not very useful. Every year, run a drill with your family to ensure that everyone knows how to respond so that in the unlikely event of an emergency, they will not panic.
To find out more about essential safety items you should have on hand, especially with regards to safe storage and disposal of flammable goods and dangerous liquids, check out Storemasta.
