Prevention of fires in buildings

The fire spreads quickly. The best protection against fire is knowing the behaviour of fire, recognising the fire hazard, and preventing it.

To prevent fires:

• Install smoke detectors in rooms.
• Check their condition every month. Replace the batteries once a year or when they are empty. This is signalled by an unusual sound.
• Learn yourself and instruct your family members on how to behave in the event of a fire and how to leave the building when a fire occurs.
• Acquire the basic fire extinguishing equipment for your home. Learn to use them and teach your family members to do the same.
• Practise evacuation with your family members.
• Try doing it with your eyes closed. There is a lot of smoke during the fire. It would be good if you knew your way out of the building even when you cannot see anything.
• Stay bent forward or on all fours. When you have to feel your way out of the building, first touch the door to feel its temperature before opening it. There may be a fire behind the hot door.
• When moving, keep in mind that there is always more smoke and heat beneath the ceiling than near the floor.
• In government offices, service companies, department stores, and other public areas, evacuation plans must be on the walls of each floor. Evacuation routes must be labelled with emergency lights.

Basic fire-extinguishing equipment includes the following:

• powder extinguisher
• a box of sand
• a container of water
• a fire blanket
• improvised fire extinguishers such as clothing, soil, etc.