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Freelance technical writer, LinkedIn profile

A fire in your home is one of the scariest things you can experience. Did you know that there are more than 37,000 home fires reported in the UK every year and more than 260 people are killed?

Since the Glenfelta disaster is still fresh in everyone's mind, and the wildfires raging in California and Australia threaten families and livelihoods, fire safety should be everyone's top priority.

So, what can you do to protect your family, house and property and minimize risks? We have compiled some changes you can make to protect your home from fire.

Let's start with building materials; some people are more susceptible to fires than others. The use of flame retardant substitutes and fire protection indoors are the first line of defense against potentially serious tragedies. Make changes when you renovate or redecorate your home.

In terms of materials, concrete slabs, plaster or bricks for exterior walls, steel frames for windows, and concrete or metal for roofs are all good choices. Fire-resistant paint is also a good idea. For decoration, concrete, tiles, stone or bricks are better than wood.

In your home, choose fire-resistant curtains and upholstery fabrics to make sure you understand the various British standards and certifications used for fire-resistant fabrics. You can also perform additional fire protection on your existing home furnishing fabrics and upholstered furniture.

The smoke alarm can warn you when there is a fire in your home. Traditional sirens will beep when they detect smoke or fire, and smart detectors will also send an alert to your phone. According to UK Fire Service Resources, except for the bathroom, smoke detectors should be installed in every room in your home to provide maximum protection. You also need to place one on the corridor between the living area and the bedroom, and one on each landing.

There are 4 types of smoke alarms suitable for different areas of the house. The smoke alarm should be kept away from the vents, and the battery should be replaced every 6 months. Crucially, it is strongly recommended that you test smoke alarms at least once a year to ensure they are still effective. Without a functional smoke alarm, you are four times more likely to die in a house fire than others!

There is a fire extinguisher on hand that can tell the difference between a successfully controlled kitchenette accident and a house burned down. There are different types of fire extinguishers, classified according to the type of fire they are designed to solve. Make sure you understand what the differences are and how to use each in an emergency. A typical household fire extinguisher should have an ABC rating:

Class A-combustible materials, such as wood, paper, cloth, rubber, household waste, most plastics

Class B-flammable liquids, solvents, oils, gasoline, paints and varnishes

Class C-Gas, including methane, propane, hydrogen, acetylene and natural gas

Class D-combustible metals, including magnesium and aluminum shavings

Class F-Pan fire, as a substitute for fire blanket

The fire in the home can spread quickly, engulfing the entire room in 10 minutes. However, if the fire doors in your home are closed at night when fires are more common, you can greatly reduce the damage caused by smoke and fire.

Fire doors can block smoke, heat, and flames—usually up to 30 or 60 minutes—protect escape routes and provide additional critical time for you to safely leave the building.

Non-residential buildings are subject to the 2005 Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, in which fire doors are an important element. In fact, business owners were found guilty for blocking fire doors, preventing them from closing properly, or failing to install fire doors first, and could face unlimited fines and 2 years in prison.

On the other hand, domestic properties usually only need to install fire doors if they have more than 3 floors or integral garages with connecting doors. This is not to say that you cannot accommodate as many people as possible in your home to protect those closest to you.

Sad but true-arson now accounts for more than 50% of all recorded fires in the UK. There are more than 80,000 arson attacks every year, with a total annual cost of over 2.5 billion pounds, hundreds of injuries and dozens of deaths.

The most vulnerable element in the house is the mailbox-direct, easy and unsupervised access to the interior of your home. If you become the target of an attack, for whatever reason, including any indiscernible reason, you need to protect yourself here.

Arson prevention letter boxes such as these contain a built-in fire extinguishing system to dispose of any flammable liquids that may be poured from the letter box. They are installed on the inside of the front door and are made of fireproof panels with a seal to maintain the integrity of the fire.

Fires that originate from outside (such as wildfires) are best to prevent it from reaching your house in the first place. You can use landscape gardening design to slow or stop the spread of fire to your home by following these tips:

Is the fire protection industry fast enough to adapt to the realities of the post-Grenfell era? At FIREX International, Europe's only dedicated fire safety event in 2019, some of the world's leading fire safety experts covered this topic. This e-book covers the key insights from the discussions shaping the development of the industry. Topics include:

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