The next 10 fire safety tips for your scheme
10 November 2023 | Wynand Engelbrecht
This is the second instalment of our three-part series on fire safety in community schemes. While it's impossible to eliminate every fire risk imaginable, understanding the causes of fires and implementing effective prevention measures can significantly reduce the likelihood of such incidents within your home, office, store or scheme.
In this article, we continue our exploration by presenting an additional 10 invaluable tips, we received from Wynand, that can further secure your scheme's defences against fires. By staying informed and proactive, you'll be better equipped to ensure the safety of your community and property.
Inspect electrical cords
It is very important to replace any damaged or frayed electrical cords and wiring.
Be careful where you run electrical cords
Electrical cords should not be run underneath rugs or furniture.
Do not overload a multi-plug
It is important to have a ‘multi-plug’ with a SABS marking on it, and to ensure that it is not overloaded with electrical appliances.
Be careful where you place space heaters
It is important to keep any form of heater at least 1 meter away from flammable or high risk materials.
Turn off electric blankets
Electric blankets are extremely popular in the winter time, and while they may help keep you warm and cosy, they are also a serious fire risk, so make sure to turn them off before you fall asleep.
Be careful where you store flammable liquids
Flammable liquids may include petrol, diesel, and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas). It is important to have these liquids in a safe location outside of the home, and with permission if on common property.
Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children
Children often don't understand the dangers associated with matches and lighters, and instead want to play with the new and unknown, so keep these far out of sight and reach.
Install childproof safety covers on electrical outlets
To prevent any child from being able to access any electrical outlet, and possibly hurt themselves or unknowingly start a fire, make sure these outlets are covered.
Dispose of cigarettes and ash in a safe container
Cigarettes must never be thrown away in a trash bin. You will often see this rule in a scheme’s conduct rules. Make sure that any ash and cigarette butt is disposed of correctly and safely.
Make sure that you understand the dangers of LPG
When using LPG, as described above, in home appliances, strictly keep to safety best practices, noting that there is no room for mistakes when using LPG.
Wynand has 30 tips in total, so if you missed the first 10, click here to read that article and be sure to keep your eyes open for the last installment in this series.
If you are interested in more information on this topic, please contact Wynand Engelbrecht, Fire Chief of Fire Ops SA at wynand@fireopssa.co.za or you can contact TVDM Consultants should you wish to discuss how these tips can be implemented in your scheme's rules.
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