Fire Safety Tips for Memphis Apartment Living
Sep 6th, 2007 by Memphis Apartments
Fires in Memphis apartments can be deadly because they are in smaller contained spaces. They can spread quickly to other Memphis apartments in the building. It can be difficult to rescue tenants in high-rise Memphis apartment buildings. For this reason, you should focus on preventing fires in your Memphis apartment.
Memphis apartment fires often begin in the kitchen. Cooking with oil is a common cause of kitchen fires. You should never leave oil cooking on the stove unsupervised. A fire can be started by hot oil in a matter of seconds. Anytime you are cooking, stay in the kitchen. Always use your kitchen ventilation system to minimize the heat in your kitchen. This is particularly important if you have a gas stove.
Always make sure the grease is cleaned off your stove each time you use it. Accumulated grease can easily catch fire. Be sure to keep all flammable items as far away from the stove as possible. You also want to keep all electrical cords away from the burners.
If you fall asleep with a lit cigarette in your hand, you can accidentally start a fire. You should only smoke in your Memphis apartment when you know you will be awake to properly discard the ashes from the cigarette. If you do not pay attention, the ashes will drop from the end of your cigarette. If there is an ember in the ashes, it can catch something on fire when it falls on it.
Children playing with matches can unintentionally start fires. Children are intrigued by how a match or lighter creates a flame. However, they might become frightened when the flame appears. Their startled reaction causes them to drop the lit match or lighter. If the flame hits flammable material, the room can quickly become engulfed in flames. Keep all matches and lighters out of reach of children. This includes candle lighters.
Candles can cause fires in Memphis apartments. Never leave a burning candle unsupervised in your Memphis apartment. All it takes is one spark to catch your Memphis apartment on fire. Never go to sleep with candles burning. There are candles that are designed to self-extinguish when the wick burns down to a certain level. While this is a nice safety feature, you should continue to use candles only in the room you are in.
Make sure your smoke detectors work properly. Never remove the batteries from your smoke detector. You should change the batteries twice a year. Studies show that installing and properly using smoke detectors double your chances of surviving a fire in your Memphis apartment.
If a fire does start in you Memphis apartment, you should know how to handle the situation. Even if you think you can put the fire out yourself, call the fire department before you do anything. After placing the call, proceed to extinguish the fire. You want the fire department to make sure there are no fire embers anywhere that can reignite.
Make sure everyone in your family knows how to call the fire department in case of emergency. As soon as you move into your Memphis apartment, create a fire escape plan. Each family member should have two means of escape. Depending on the floor on which you live, you might consider purchasing fire escape ladders. You can practice fire drills a couple times each year just to make sure everyone knows what to do and where to go. Have an agreed upon location outside where everyone will meet if you have to evacuate because of a fire. This will help reduce panic.
By following these fire safety tips, you can make your Memphis apartment living experience as safe as possible. It is important that each member of your family know how to contact the fire department. It is equally important they know how to evacuate safely if there is a fire in your Memphis apartment or building.