Fire safety tips

Wherever you are – at school, at home, in the office or at the bus stop – when you hear a fire siren you have a growing feeling of unease. And watching the fire engine rush by you try to remember whether you switched off the iron or the boiling kettle on the stove.

No doubt, the situation is familiar to all of you, guys.

To protect yourselves everyone should know fire safety tips.

In the lesson you’ll get to know the following:

- fire vocabulary;

- basic characteristics of fire;

- fire safety and its types;

- how to operate the fire extinguisher;

- fire safety tips (before and during the fire);

- and you’ll practice your knowledge of fire safety tips in common situations.

Here is the list of some fire emergency vocabulary:

Every 5 seconds there is a fire in the world.

Every 4 minutes 300.000 fires happen on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Each hour fire causes one death.

Each year 80% of all fires in Russia are due to home fires.

Home fires can be prevented.

To protect yourself, it is important to understand the basic characteristics of fire.

Fire is FAST!

There is no time to gather valuables or make a phone call. In less than 30 seconds, a small flame can get completely out of control and turn into a major fire. There is only time to escape.

Fire is HOT!

Heat is more threatening than flames. Room temperatures in a fire can be 100 degrees at floor level and rise to 600 degrees at eye level. This super-hot air will scorch your lungs and melt clothes to your skin.

Fire is DARK!

Fire starts bright, but quickly produces black smoke and complete darkness. If you wake up to a fire you may be blinded, disoriented and unable to find your way around the home you’ve lived in for years.

Fire is DEADLY!

Smoke and toxic gases kill more people than flames do. Fire uses up the oxygen you need and produces smoke and poisonous gases that kill.

Only when we know the true nature of fire we can prepare our families and ourselves.

Fire safety is a group of equipment and/or behavior designed to both reduce the risk of starting a fire and reduce the risk of injury in the event of a fire.

A wide variety of home and commercial fire safety devices, plans and procedures are available. They include:

- Maximum occupancy: these laws are designed to allow the population of a building to escape in the case of a fire.

- Fire exits/exit signs: an adequate number of properly placed exits and routes to these exits in visible areas around the building make sure that people can leave the building in a timely manner in the case of a fire.

- Fire alarms: A fire alarm can sense (most commonly) the presence of smoke caused by a fire, which triggers the warning alarm.

- Structural fireproofing: This increases a building’s chances of surviving a fire.

- Fire drills: Evacuation of all occupants of a building for practice

- Fire extinguishers: placing devices designed to extinguish fires in visible places. A fire extinguisher can put out a small to mid-sized fire and save property and lives.

To remember how to operate the fire extinguisher use the PASS method:

Pull the pin.

Aim low at the base of the fire. This is where the fuel source is.

Squeeze the lever above the handle.

Sweep from side to side. Don’t hesitate to use the extinguisher until it is empty.

Of course, the best way to practice fire safety is to make sure a fire doesn’t break out in the first place.

The following are simple steps that each of us can take to prevent a tragedy.

- Create and practice a Fire Escape Plan. If you do not have a plan - do it today!

The Fire Escape Plans must be placed in visible areas at schools.

Once a year fire drills should be held in order to simulate the conditions that can occur in an actual emergency! Pay attention to the fire exit signs!

- Teach your younger brothers and sisters not to hide from firefighters.

- A properly installed smoke (fire) detector is the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day. You should test each smoke alarm at least once a month. Remember to replace batteries regularly (at least once a year).

- Sleep with your door closed.

- Stay inside the kitchen while you are cooking. Keep children away from cooking areas by enforcing a “kid-free zone” of 1 meter around the stove.

If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.

- If you smoke, smoke outside. Soak cigarette butts and ashes in water before throwing them away. But you’d better to give up smoking and reduce the risk of fire and health problems!

- Inspect electrical cords regularly and replace any that are cracked or damaged.

Do not overload the outlets with plugs from the TV, computer, printer, video game system, and stereo.

- Use candles with care. Be certain to blow out all candles if you leave the room and particularly when you go to sleep. Place the candles inside a purpose-made candle holder.

You’ve heard it again and again, but playing with matches is still the leading cause of fire-related deaths and injuries for kids.

- Always keep matches and lighters out of children’s reach.

- Check the Fireplace. Fireplaces should be kept clean and covered with a screen to keep sparks from jumping out.

- Never use the oven to heat your home or to dry the laundry.

- Space heaters should be at least one meter from anything material that can burn. Always turn off heaters when you leave the room and especially when you go to sleep.

- During science lab experiments at school follow the general safety rules: wear protective clothes (coats, gloves and goggles); listen to and read instructions carefully before doing something; report to the teacher in case of any accident.

In case you’re caught in a fire there are major safety rules you must know:

When the smoke alarm sounds, get out fast.

Never stop to take personal belongings or pets or to make a phone call (even to 101) while evacuating.

Smoke is toxic. If you must escape through smoke, get low and go under the smoke to your way out. Cover your mouths and noses with a moist towel or an article of clothing.

Touch any door (not the doorknob) to see if it is hot, and if it is, do not open it – find another exit.

If you can’t get out, close the door and cover vents and cracks around doors with cloth or tape to keep smoke out. Call 101 or signal for help at the window with a light-colored cloth or a flashlight.

If your clothes catch fire, stop, drop, and roll.

If you or someone else cannot stop, drop, and roll, smother the flames with a blanket or towel.

NEVER go back into a burning building for any reason.

Do not use the elevators, use stairs!

Look at the pictures and think what important safety rules these people break. Use the prompts to make up the sentence.

A girl has forgotten to turn off the iron.

The young people didn’t put the candle in the candle holder and it caused the fire.

The outlet is overloaded with electrical devices.

The pupil didn’t follow the teacher’s instructions during the lab experiment.

You might be overloaded now with all those dos and don’ts.

But you should always remember: