General Chat

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR ELDERLY RELATIVES OR NEIGHBOURS KNOW OF THESE SAFETY GUIDES TOO. Following Wilde Child's sad thread about her friend, maybe it is a good idea for everyone to talk with their family about what to do if a fire started at home. You need to discuss how to deal with this situation before it happens, how you would get out if you were upstairs and the fire was in the hallway downstairs, etc. How to put damp towels across your mouth to help yourself, if trapped to lie on the floor so you inhale less smoke, and to put duvets etc across the bottom of the doors to stop smoke entering, while you open a window and shout for help. If you have to jump from a window, how to throw down mattresses or duvets etc to soften the fall and to drop from the windowsill by your fingertips rather than leaping out, if you have double glazing which window will not be locked and will be easy to get out of (there should be one which is a fire window and therefore easy to leave by). All these tips can help save lives, and always tell your youngsters not to try putting out the fire, get everyone out and then phone the fire brigade, don't hang around trying to use the phone inside. Stay safe everyone, don't let us hear anymore tragedies. Oh and another point, always take care to extinguish candles etc before going to bed, and put matches, lighters etc way out of the reach of youngsters. LIz

Time is so important. Often it is not the flames that kill but smoke inhalation. One becomes disorientated because you can't always see an exit, so make sure that the doorways are clear and not cluttered by shoes, schoolbags etc. Minutes matter. Gwyn

I had a visit from the local fire station and they said to take a mobile phone to bed and dial 999 as not every one has a phone upstairs. Also when you go to bed make it a habit to shut all the downstairs doors-he reckoned that would give you the time to get every one down the stairs and out through the front door-We have a bathroom window to escape through with a verandah to land on ,then drop down to the ground. Here in Horwich( & elsewhere I imagine) you can ring and ask for a free assessment and they come and give advice-fit free smoke alarms and best of all for the children let them sit in the fire engine! Keep safe every one Diane :))

Just by reading this thread i have learnt alot, i just hope i never have to put it into practice. Another thing i would add, dont forget to check your smoke alarms! A worn battery is a useless smoke alarm. Be safe.

What a brilliant thread. Everything you have said has made perfect sense, but I am sure in the event of a fire, panic would take over and I wouldn't have thought of most of it. Definately one to keep nudged. Thank you.

We told the children a while ago what to do if there was a fire in the night, who would get who and the diffferent window to get out. Didn't think about itt again until we put a pitched roof on the pork and laddo got a bit upset and he then asked us if there was a fire he wouldn't be saved because he couldn't get out onto the flat roof anymore as it was now sloped. Just shows children do take these things in. Have told him what to do now and he is fine again

Very informative information - must keep this nudged just to remind everyone. Stay safe Mary in Spain

On aother note the woman that lives up the road she had gone out with her girls and one of her lads was in watching TV when it burst into flames, he ran out with his phone in bare feet and called firebrigade, .that took hold so quickly that the whole house was smoke damaged because the doors weren't shut, he also didn't take his keys so they had to smash their way in to tackle it. Thank goodness he had the sense to get out otherwise well who knows but another reason to have insurance as well she didn't and lost most things.

As a retired Fire Station Officer with 30 years service I can say that most of the comments said so far are good advice. The devastation I saw over my career was unbelievable, everybody thinks it won't happen to them but unfortunatley it always happens to somebody. To summarise. Get your local fire station to come and do a home inspection, it's free, give them a call. Make a fire plan, escape routes being number one priority. Close all downstairs doors at night. Have a smoke alarm on the landing and in the hallway, your fire service will provide them free, they even fit them for you. In the event of fire, get out, stay out, get the fire brigade out. If the fire is downstairs and you are trapped, get everybody into one room, at the front of the house if possible, that makes it easier for the fire service to get a ladder up to you. A normal interior door will hold back fire for 30 minutes, if the smoke comes under or round the door edges, block it with sheets or other similar material. Open the front bedroom window and scream your head off to attract attention, get somebody to call out the fire brigade. Never jump from an upstairs window, in the unlikely event that the flames are upon you, hang from the window sill and drop. The Fire Services Act. lays down attendance times that you may have to wait for a fire engine. All built up residential areas usually get one fire engine in 5 minutes and 2 in 10 minutes. If you are in a rural area it can be up to 20 minutes. Be safe. And make sure you are insured. Ron www*genealogyprinters*com

Great thread. The fire service came to my daughters school and did a run through with them and they all did a fire plan. It was a great idea as she took all the info home.

Laddo went on a trip yesterday and one of the displays was from the fire brigade they had a blow up house and smoke came out of the windows. They also had to go round and laddo told his TA to turn on the light switch it went BANG Think they learn more from events like that as its fun but with a serious message. Laddo doesn't remember things easily but he told us all about it last night so must of captured his attention.

We have an escape route in this house and when the children were younger we used to have dummy runs. We are moving soon and the house is a totally different lay out. Didn't know the fire service came out to check houses, so shall have that done in new house. Excellent thread. M.

I had no idea they would come out to inspect and help us and now i know i shall call them.

nudge xx

Liz As a registered child minder I had to have a fire policy and proceedure in place. So all my family know what to do in case of a fire, I have a whistle and practise a mini drill with the kids every so often. Smoke alarms the lot. You got to haven't you. But glad you put the thread up, gives other peeps ideas on what to do. Sad news on Hayley's friend. Very sad. catherine xx

If this thread helps everyone stay safe, and be more aware of things to do and not to do, then I am glad I put it up. Please read it through thoroughly as others have added things I didn't. Liz

i really dont want to put a damper on this thread, but if your house was burning down,you wouldnt have time to think of any of the above things,the only thing on your mind would be to get your selves and your children out any way you could,my house burnt down two wks before xmas 1996 and yes we did have smoke alarms(they melted)my self,hubby and four children (the youngest only 4) got out the back door(the front door was plastic it also melted) you know weve all got lovely plastic windows now, well in cases of fire they are death traps,everything melts even the handles,so making it imposable to escape,my tip would be that when your thinking of having your old plastic windows changed think about hardwood instead of plastic,yes its a bit dearer but it could safe your lives one day.xxx

Suzanne, that sounds awful and I am glad you all escaped, but from what you say, the fire must have been burning fiercely before you knew about it for damage like that to happen, i.e. smoke alarms to melt. I still think it is important to talk about the guidelines, as mostly I would think people are aware before things get to this stage. It might also make youngsters aware of the dangers of being trapped and maybe then they are less likely to play with matches etc. Liz

purple, fire takes hold quicker than anyone thinks.xx

nudging so others can see this