Conducting a fire risk assessment can help you know what to do to prevent a fire outbreak and keep people safe. Though fire outbreaks aren’t so common, they can happen. That’s why you need to ensure that every procedure to deal with fire is in place. Companies conduct fire risk assessments to protect their premises, employees, and documents.
However, you can also conduct an assessment in your home to know what to do in case of a fire accident. Alternatively, you can hire a fire risk assessment Scotland company to conduct the evaluation. Regardless of which method you choose to use, here are the steps you should follow when doing an assessment.
- Identify Fire Triggers
Fire begins when heat sources come into contact with oxygen and fuel. Therefore, you need to walk around your property and identify things that can burn or start a fire. Electrical equipment, naked flames, and heaters can pose a significant fire risk. You also need to identify flammable items like rubbish, packaging, and furniture. Once you identify these triggers, keep them away from flames.
- Know The People At Risk
Fire poses a great risk to everyone. However, you need to know who those people are. If you have a family, ensure you keep track of where everyone is every day of the week. Some members of your family, like children and the aged, may be at a higher risk than others. Children mostly may play with items that are flammable and bring them close to fire sources.
Therefore, it’s vital to keep children away from everything flammable. The elderly and disabled in your home should also know all the entry and exit points so that they can easily get out in case of a fire outbreak. You also need to know how you can assist them if they can’t get out of the house on their own.
- Know What To Do
Once you assess things that can cause fire and people at risk, you need to know how to minimize the outbreak chances. Keeping away flammable items is good, but you need to do more because an arsonist may attack you. You can protect the people in your house by giving fire precautions.
You also need to talk to neighbors and ask them to help you evacuate the elderly and disabled in case of an outbreak. Installing fire and smoke alarms where your family members can access them may enable them to get help quickly in case of an emergency.
Having fire extinguishers in your house can also be vital in controlling small fires and preventing them from spreading. However, they need to be serviced annually to ensure they’re in perfect condition. Having fire exit doors is also essential because they’ll provide a safe and quick exit.
Conclusion
Though most people like waiting for the fire department’s engines to be dispatched in their homes in case of a fire, doing a risk assessment can help you prevent it or control it as you wait for the firefighters to arrive. These three steps can keep you and your family safe before or during a fire a fire outbreak.
