Stories by Jude Njoku

Many Nigerians are not safety conscious. While many of them build mansions worth several millions of Naira which they also lavishly furnish, they do little or nothing to ensure the safety of their investments. In fact, some homeowners think it is a waste of hard earned money to either insure their property or instal fire fighting devices in their homes. The popular adage that “penny wise pound foolish” readily comes to mind here. But a stitch in time saves nine, hence experts posit that for a secure home, occupiers should instal fire fighting gadgets because disasters can occur when least expected. Apart from installing fire fighting devices, an electrical installation expert, Mr Athanatius Anyanwu advised home owners who cannot avoid the conduit wiring of their homes, to pipe the surface electrical wires. According to him, such piping of electrical wires would reduce the incidents of fire disasters in which lives and property are usually lost in a twinkling of an eye.

Although experts posit that just keeping a single fire extinguisher in your home is not enough, they contended that one of the important places a fire extinguisher should be installed is the kitchen because that area is prone to fire outbreaks.

The idea of having multiple fire extinguishers is anchored on the fact that fire can occur in any area of your home. “You should therefore prepare for such eventuality by having multiple fire extinguishers spread throughout your home”.

To avoid fire outbreaks, homeowners should endeavour to spread smoke detectors in the house and check their batteries and wiring regularly. It is commonplace to find stacks of paper, boxes, or books near areas with high electrical activity, this is wrong and should be avoided.

Again, you should always keep the area around your home free of flammable such as firewood and propane. When you over load electrical sockets, you have on your own, invited trouble. “You should ensure proper use of appliances and do not overload outlets with too many items since these are where fire disaster emanate from in many homes. You should therefore check these areas regularly for potential problems,” Anyanwu said, adding that other household appliances like stoves, oven furnace and dryer should be regularly checked to ensure that they are in good working conditions.

Fire extinguishers come in different types, based on the kind of fire you may need to fight. Knowing the differences between them will help you pick the right one for your home or business and keep you safe.

Class A fire extinguishers put out ordinary combustibles. You use them on burning wood or paper while Class B extinguishers are used on fires that involve flammable liquids, such as oil, grease or gasoline. They are best for kitchens or garages. On the other hand, Class C extinguishers are usually used to fight electrical fires. They can also use them on fires that the class A and B models are rated for.

Extinguishers classified as D put out fires that involve flammable metals or metal alloys and are rarely needed in the home.

For larger buildings like high-risers, experts explained that apart from ensuring that such properties are comprehensively insured, owners should ensure that fire hydrants in working conditions are provided. A fire hydrant is an emergency water connection in a building or street. An upright pipe is usually connected to a water main with a valve to which a hose can be attached by firefighters in case of an emergency. Such properties should also have a fire escape which is a specially designed means of getting out of a building in the event of fire disaster.