1. No smokers allowed in the bedroom please. Statistics say that at least three in every 10 households has a smoker member. Smoking itself is already dangerous to health. Smoking inside the bedroom negligibly can even be more dangerous. Neglecting a lighted cigarette - whether it's in your bed or in your desk - can burn your entire street. A small fire crawls very quickly in satin and other soft cotton fabrics which are materials for most bed sheets and curtains.



2. Turn off all appliances before bedtime. If you are used to sleeping with your television on, you better think again. Most fire damage situations started from electric fires - loose wiring, appliances overheating, octopus connection and the like. Putting your televisions and other appliances on standby mode is not the solution. You need to plug them off from the outlets to reduce the possibility of fire damage.

3. Mommies should be wary in the kitchen. Another most common cause of fire is oil overheating in a frying pan. Don't leave you're your kitchen unattended when you have something on the stove or in the oven. Another tip: don't leave your kids in the kitchen. The kitchen is a fire hazard area. There are a lot of highly combustible materials in it. If your kid plays with a lighter and accidentally lights it up. Fire can easily flare up.

4. Keep your fire extinguishers away from the kitchen and the garage but keep them visible. Make sure you know how to use them and that you have read all instructions carefully. For home use, an ABC type fire extinguisher is ideal. A is for wood and paper, B for grease, oil and other combustible fuels and C is for electric fires. Teach the whole family the basic instructions of its usage.

5. If you have a fireplace, always have your chimney inspected and swept at least once a year. Installing a spark arrester would also help. This tool stops fires coming from your chimney. Keep paper and would away from your fireplace as much as possible.

6. If it's Christmas time and you have a real fire tree for Christmas, always water it everyday to keep it wet. A match cannot flare up a wet tree. Allow 7.6 liters of water to stand in your fire trees and keep it topped up all the time.

7. Little gadgets should always be plugged off when not in use. Mobile phone and battery chargers left plugged overnight can cause a fire. Use only the designated chargers for your mobile phones as this can also help reduce electric shock and fire damage.

8. Make sure that you have a pre-fire plan. Involve your kids. You cannot give one-by-one instructions when the whole house is already being eaten by fire.

9. Keep your television away from your curtains. As mentioned above, most curtain materials are very conducive for fire to crawl and flare up. Short circuits can happen anytime so you might as well keep your TVs and curtains away from each other.

10. Have your electrical installations checked at least once a year.

Take the above fire damage prevention tips with you. Save your home from fire damage. Save your family!