How to Do a Fire Safety Risk Assessment in Your Home

The first thing you need to do in order to do a fire safety risk assessment is to buy a fire extinguisher for your home. If a small fire were to break out it could quickly become a larger fire. Keep the fire extinguisher in your kitchen, where a fire is more likely to start and either post it on the wall or store in the front of a cabinet. If stored in a cabinet make sure it is easily accessible and everyone knows where it is. Better yet, put a sign on the cabinet holding the fire extinguisher that says, "fire extinguisher inside". If you have never used a fire extinguisher you will need fire extinguisher training. Fema recommends that you use the P.A.S.S. technique, which is easy to remember. PULL the pin of the fire extinguisher-AIM the fire extinguisher at the base of the fire---SQUEEZE the handle levers together to release the fire extinguishing agent----SWEEP the fire extinguisher from side to side until the fire is extinguished.

Next, make sure that you have smoke alarms posted near the kitchen, hallways, and bedrooms of your home. If they are battery operated you will need to check that the smoke alarms are working by pressing the button on the smoke alarm until it beeps. If it does not beep then you may need new batteries. Also, make a list of all flammables in your home and make sure that they are stored away from heated appliances. Keep out of the reach of children.

As part of your fire risk assessment and to ensure fire safety, make sure everyone in the home knows where all the exits are in the home. This may sound overly simplistic, but children may panic in a fire and not remember how to get out. This is also important because in the event of a fire, smoke may obstruct your vision and everyone in the home needs to already know where the exits are. If someone lives in a two story home they need to have a throw-out ladder and it should be kept in an accessible location.

The last part of your fire risk assessment is to know what your plan is in the event of a fire. If there are children in the home decide who will help the children to safety. If there are burglar bars in the bedrooms, make sure children know how to use the safety releases. Conduct regular fire drills so that everyone knows what to do.