You know how they say – Fire is good slave but bad master. If it is not under control or it suddenly bursts out of nowhere it can be deadly. Waiting for firefighters to intervene in the most cases is simply not enough. For the start, modern construction and furnishing materials burn hotter and faster, making the rescuers’ jobs much harder and their response time not sufficient. It is obvious that your destiny should not be left in other’s hands, so we will give you five most efficient ways of fighting the most common cases of fire.
Fight the Fire Before It Even Starts
We know that this sounds like something that should be taken for granted, but just try thinking for a second how often are we doing security checks and how much time we are dedicating to active prevention of fire. The answer is surely disappointing. Now, the most of modern homes do not have any kind of fire source, so majority of fires stem from poor maintenance of electrical systems or faulty electrical wiring. Keep your electric systems clean of dust, and spider webs, and use circuit breakers and fuses wherever possible.
Use the Fire Extinguisher
Considering the type of fire you are facing, you will have to choose from C-rated or A-rated fire extinguishers. If you are, for example facing an electrical fire, and you are not able to cut the power to the source you will have to use Class C-rated (carbon dioxide or dry chemicals) fire extinguisher. Pull any pin which is stopping you from depressing the handle, point the horn at the fire (base would be the most desirable place) and continue spraying until the fire is gone. For other occasions, you can use the Class A-rated (water-based) extinguishers.
Fight the Fire with Water
Aside from fire extinguishers, water is the most common thing that pops on everyone’s mind when thinking about putting out a fire. Water has one great advantage over the extinguishers, though, and that is that it is widely available. If the fire has not taken to much ground, pouring the sufficient amounts of water over it will be enough. Bigger fires will demand more water and stronger flow, so keeping one of the newest fire fighting trailers around seems like a good idea.
Use the Blanket
You have all seen the scene in the movies when some person catches a fire and they use blankets to save him. If you have ever wondered how the blanket does not catch fire too, the answer is simple – Fire needs oxygen in order to burn. If you quickly cut the fire from its fuel, it will vanish. That is why blankets are very efficient for putting out smaller Class A fires (cloth, rubber, wood, paper, plastic, etc.). Just be sure to drape the blanket over the fire and do not throw it directly at the flames.
Put Out the Fire with Sand or Dirt
This method of extinguishing fire also works on the basis of cutting the oxygen from the flames, but it is more efficient. If you are facing some larger and more persistent flame, or your blanket accidentally catches the fire, the best thing you can do is to run outside, grab enough dirt or sand, and cover the basis of the flames. It will be messy, but it can also save your life.
As we can see, there are more than enough methods for putting out the house fire, so there is no real need to panic and leave the firefighters do the all the work in the case of disaster. Still, we will would advise you to give special attention to the paragraph dedicated to prevention and reduce the chance of facing this disaster in the first place.