FIRE SAFETY | Imamother

greenfire

Sun, Mar 22 2015, 2:01 pm

this information is only for small controllable fires ... if it's not small enough to think by yourself of course you dial 911 first & leave the premises immediately

by nature fire & water don't mix - and we might automatically assume if there's a fire - get water to douse it out

water is not always the solution for a fire ...

how would you put out a fire on the stove ?

get baking soda or salt because water would spread the oils and create a larger fire within seconds ...

an electrical fire needs a special fire extinguisher ... so even if you have one make sure it is safe for electrical use ... again do NOT use water to put it out - first turn off the circuit breakers to your home

if your shabbos candles catch on fire ... do NOT move them to the sink because not only can water spread the fire but the oils can drip on you cause 3rd degree burns - instead pour salt or baking soda

if you have rambunctious pets do not leave candles on tables or places they could climb - nor leave your home with them lit

or kids that might pull on table clothes - forego the clothes or put the candles elsewhere - wind blows curtains into unknown places - so make sure there are no curtains near any candles

get heaters & irons that turn off if accidentally left on or turned over - appliances with thermostats that turn off when too hot

wood burns like paper

never assume a fireplace won't spark

burnt out matches should still be saturated with water before throwing in the garbage

perhaps people can do a safety check before bedtime

ra_mom

Sun, Mar 22 2015, 2:06 pm

greenfire wrote:

this information is only for small controllable fires ... if it's not small enough to think by yourself of course you dial 911 first & leave the premises immediately

SNIP

Leave the premises immediately and then dial 911 from a neighbor.

Thanks for your post!

zaq

Sun, Mar 22 2015, 2:08 pm

Easiest way to douse a fire in a frying pan or candles is to put a pot lid over it and leave it in place. The fire will go out as soon as it consumes the oxygen under the lid. To see what this looks like, if you have one of those fat pillar candles, light it, then invert a clear drinking glass or small narrow glass jar over the flame. In a few seconds, depending on the size of the jar, the flame will sputter and go out.

zaq

Sun, Mar 22 2015, 2:40 pm

You could put a metal wastebasket over a candelabrum, though why would you need to do that? Candles in a candelabrum are not a problem--candles that fell off a candelabrum and ignited curtains or a tablecloth are a problem. In which case an ABC fire extinguisher would be your weapon of choice if the fire was still small enough.

When in doubt, drop everything and leave.

For a wonderful comprehensive guide to fire and burn prevention (including electrical, chemical and sun burns) specifically for observant Jewish families, contact the FDNY Fire Safety Education Unit & FDNY Office of Public Information at www.nyc.gov/fdny or call 718-999-0779 and ask for a free copy of their publication Burn Wise. It is in English and Yiddish in one volume. An older edition was also translated into Hebrew, so ask if there is a current Hebrew version.

greenfire

Sun, Mar 22 2015, 2:45 pm

people do NOT always think except as an aftermath ... we need to plan out emergency thinking before an emergency happens ...

as my sister can attest to despite the apartment not burning down - the skin rolled right off her hand because of a dripping fire from the candelabra onto the tray which was headed to the tablecloth ... she thought she could move it to the sink & contain it - not a good idea because hot wax melts flesh !!!

mandr

Sun, Mar 22 2015, 5:12 pm

Also, some things that burn can release dangerous fumes. My friend had a wire fire that leaned onto a beanbag and it released toxic fumes. They had to redo their whole interior afterwards.

Never leave wires draped over anything!

When you hear a fire alarm, GET UP AND GO OUT. Don't assume it's just a fire drill or testing or something. It can be real. We were at a Shabbos Sheva Brachos once at a hall and the fir alarm went off and nobody did a thing besides for my family members because my father has fire safety training and we grew up knowing better.

We had fire drills at home, too. My father set off the fire alarm (it can also be done with the smoke detectors) and we had to go outside to our meeting place and we were timed on how fast we were able to get there!

MagentaYenta

Sun, Mar 22 2015, 5:29 pm

My children and I all had public school educations and as a consequence got great fire safety instruction from our local fire departments. I'm not sure whether private schools do the same. Why not check with the schools your children go to and see if they provide this lifesaving information. If not ask them to add some programs during national fire safety week. There's no cost, and a immeasurable benefit.

(ETA: My father was a firefighter.)

windowsill

Sun, Mar 22 2015, 6:39 pm

Fire is my worst nightmare
I am a manager of a large school and also trained as a Fire Marshall or Fire Officer. It is my responsibility to make sure that each member of staff is trained and that all girls no what to do when the alarm goes off.
One morning, a few month ago there was a fire in the school basement and the alarm went off.
I saw smoke coming out of the basement.
The first thing I did was FREEZE. I am excellent at panicking... all my training went out the window.
The next second I ran to see if I can contain the fire - I shut the door to the basement
Then I called the Fire Department
Then I made sure and flew through all classrooms to check everyone was out. Bh they were. (all 600+ of them, plus the staff..)
Then I ran back to the basement and saw that the caretaker took the fire extinguisher and put out the fire. By then the fire dept arrived
I was taught in my training how to use an extinguisher, but I don't think I can ever use one..
BH everything was ok in the end, but the next few nights I could not really sleep.. I kept on thinking of the major responsibility I have and wanted to resign...
Fire is no joke....