Each year, fires occur in thousands of homes and businesses. When a fire breaks out, fast action is needed to evacuate a burning building and avoid smoke inhalation. Talk about fire safety with your elderly parent. Make sure they know these fire prevention tips.
Rooms With Major Appliances Need to Have Fire Extinguishers Nearby
Any room with a major appliance should have a fire extinguisher handy. Fire extinguishers are not one-size fits all. Choose the proper extinguisher for the appliance. In the kitchen, Class B fire extinguishers are suitable for grease, gas, or oil fires. Class A extinguishers are better for fires in a wood stove. Class C is designed for electrical fires. Class D is for metals.
Some extinguishers are labeled with two classes. Make sure the extinguisher matches the potential fire. If you’re looking for a fire extinguisher near a propane boiler, you want class B. Make sure extinguishers are charged. If your parent has some that are nearing empty, they could test them out and experience how they work before getting them refilled.
Clutter Can Fuel a Fire
Keep clutter to a minimum. Your dad may love collecting National Geographic magazines, but in a fire, that’s a lot of paper that becomes fuel. Clutter can also get in the way of firefighters who need to get through the rooms in your parents’ home. Doors and hallways should be free of clutter for easy movement.
Test Fire Detectors Regularly
Test smoke and fire alarms each month. Make sure batteries are changed when needed. Some detectors sense smoke while others sense heat. It’s ideal to have both kinds of detectors in the home. There should be detectors in all bedrooms and on each level of the house from the basement to the top floor.
Kitchen Safety is Vital
The National Fire Protection Association gives a few statistics about kitchen fires. There are a greater number of them during Christmas and Thanksgiving. Between 2012 and 2016, more than 172,000 home first started as a result of cooking a meal. More than half of those fires originate with an oven or stovetop.
Your parents should not walk away and leave items cooking without being there to monitor the progress. About 33 percent of people killed in a house fire were sleeping while something was cooking. If your parent is prone to napping when sitting down, someone else needs to do the cooking.
Ease your fears and hire caregivers. Throughout the week, caregivers can come to your parent’s house and cook meals for them. Caregivers can also join them for meals, which provides important companionship. Talk to a home care agency to set it up.
Source
https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/US-Fire-Problem/Home-Cooking-Fires
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED-ONE ARE CONSIDERING CAREGIVERS IN WILSON, NC, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT SENIORS HELPING SENIORS TODAY. CALL (919) 761-5346.