General Chat

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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 :))

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

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