6 ways to prevent fires at home because too many house fires are taking place in S’pore

Fire is a double-edged sword, something that we need but at the same time if handled carelessly, something that can hurt us immensely. We should all practise good fire hazard management, something especially important considering the recent cases of fires breaking out in homes across Singapore.

Here are some fire safety tips that may potentially help prevent any disasters from occurring in your own home and save you the heartache of losses in property, money or worst, lives.

Electrical Appliances
Ensure that your household appliances are working properly and replace any appliances with faulty wiring or damaged insulation. Do not overload electrical outlets with power cord extensions or multi-plugs no matter how much you want to because a little inconvenience is worth suffering through than truly dire consequences.

Charging devices
Many of us have a habit of keeping our lifestyle devices such as tablets or laptops constantly plugged in to ensure that their batteries are charged. Sometimes, you may even leave your smartphone to charge overnight to ensure that you will leave your house with a fully-charged phone the next day.

This is potentially dangerous as charging these devices overnight may cause them to overheat, and if left near flammable items such as paper or cloths, may even start a fire.

Kitchen stove
Fires in the kitchen are one of the most common causes of house fires in Singapore and they occur when stoves are left unattended. When cooking, you should not leave the stove unattended and if you need to leave the kitchen while cooking, it is best to switch off the stove and continue what you are doing after you return. Furthermore, ensure that the gas knob is turned off when leaving the house to prevent any accidental fires

No clutter 
Keeping your house free of clutter not only make your house look more presentable and keep your wife happy, but it can also help prevent any unintended sources of fuel for flames to spread in the event of a fire.

Teach children not to play with fire
Playing with fire is dangerous and something that should not be done. For readers with children in the house, it is important to teach them not to play with fire and the consequences should they do so. You should also keep flammable items such as matches or lighters out of reach from children.

Fire extinguishers
Having a small fire extinguisher in the house is one good practice that you should have. In the event that a small fire breaks out, you can help prevent potential catastrophe by stopping the spread of fire before it can grow bigger.

You should also ensure that fire extinguishers at home are regularly maintained and so that they will be able to work properly should the situation call for it.