National Fire Authority (NFA) is concerned after attending to several house fire incidents where improper housekeeping measures at home contributed to the rapid spread of fires.
NFA Chief Executive Officer John O’Connor said that the lack of good housekeeping measures at home further escalate the extent of losses during a fire incident at home.
The NFA CEO said some of the residential house fire cases which NFA has attended to, the fire spread very quickly because of poor housekeeping. Furthermore obstructed doors and windows as a result of poor housekeeping directly affect the effectiveness of the NFA fire fighting teams.
“Combustible materials such as kerosene, benzene and etc in the home were being stored in the kitchen area and some were kept in the open place and this easily ignites in the event of a fire incident at home and contributed to the rapid spread of fires in people’s home,” Mr O’Connor said.
The NFA CEO advises members of the community to store goods properly and more importantly combustible materials should always be kept in a proper storage area in the cupboard which should always be locked all the time when you are not using it.
In a few home fire cases, combustible materials were stored under the wooden floor contributing to the spread of fire.
Some basic housekeeping tips to prevent the quick spread of the fire are outlined below:
1. Keep your homes and properties neat and tidy at all times.
2. Keep all combustible materials such as kerosene, benzene and etc away from any kind of heat source and store away safely.
3. Store chemicals and other such goods in a safe place or in the garage under lock key and away from the reach of children.
4. Store fire ignition sources such as matches and lighters away from the reach of children.
5. Store materials such as newspapers, papers, personal documents and unused clothes neatly in drawers and cupboards or dispose them off in the proper manner if not in use.
5. Ensure that access to all your doors and windows are not blocked by boxes or other materials.
6. Keep your cooking stoves and ovens clean at all times.
7. Close off gas cylinders when you are not using your cooking gas stoves.
8. Do not overload your power boards and ensure that combustible materials, paper, pillows etc are not lying near or on your power boards.
9. Make sure that all unused electrical equipment are switched off from the power points.
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