From setting off smoke alarms to constant coughs and health problems, a smoker's life is fraught with irritations and perils. You've all been made aware the dangers of second-hand smoke, the ill effects of cigarettes on your heart, and the new legal need to hang around in the cold and dark outside your favorite restaurant, puffing away while friends talk happily inside. It's no good anymore, is it?
But there's one grim elephant in the room of smoking: the risk of fires. Too often you forget the old adage, "Where there's smoke, there's fire"--with the result that you burn up your house and everything you love. All it takes is one burning "cherry" falling from the end of your cigarette and in a matter of seconds the disaster becomes difficult to avert. Thousands die just this way every year.
If you've been smoking all of your life, you may not want to give up the world's last great socially unacceptable habit just yet. So it's important for smokers to follow a few simple rules for fire safety in order to protect themselves and others.
One: never, ever smoke indoors when you're tired. One of the chief effects of smoking, as you well know, is dizziness and fatigue. It's very easy to drift off to sleep with a burning cigarette in your hand or teetering on the edge of an ashtray. If you do this, make sure to enjoy whatever dreams you have: they'll probably be the last pleasant things in your too-short life.
Two: always take the time to put out cigarettes completely. Too many people give their butts a quick crush against an ashtray or a table leg and call a spade a spade. They'll need a spade to scoop up your remains if you do this too often! Even if you can't see the burning cherry at the end of the cigarette, the cigarette still generates plenty of intense heat. Placed against a carpet or wood surface, it's possible for that heat to burst into flames even long minutes later, after you've left the room. So take care of your business first and avoid problems later.
Three: keep a good fire extinguisher handy. CO2 extinguishers or foam extinguishers are usually a good idea for home use in order to avoid electrical shorts and other problems. Also make sure that your smoke alarms are well-maintained and equipped with fresh batteries. If you can't be careful yourself, at least make sure that something's there to be careful for you.
Four: Here's a simple idea: just don't smoke indoors! Yes, it's unpleasant to have to go outside every forty-five minutes to get a fix, and yes, the smell of old cigarette smoke is comforting and peaceful. The smell of charred bodies is not comforting or peaceful, and there's no way to go outside every forty-five minutes in the burn ward. Think about that, and happy--safe--smoking.
Fundamentally fire is caused when three basic elements come together; these are fuel, heat and oxygen. Whilst nothing can be done about the oxygen element, fuel for the fire can be limited. Fuel is anything that is flammable, paper, wood and electrical devices are all material that will burn efficiently. Subsequently your safety plan should incorporate ways in which to limit the concentration of combustible materials in any one place. Your legally demanded fire risk assessment will highlight these issues. Ignition sources and heat also need to be contained and recognised to achieve effective fire safety procedures.
As a business owner or manager it is important, and legally demanded that you should have an effective fire safety strategy in place. Fundamental in these procedures should be the ways in which fire is reported. Your staff members should be aware that a fire should be reported no matter how small it may seem, evacuation can take time and having notification early on is vital for members of staff and anyone else to get out in good time.
While not all members of staff will be fully trained to use fire extinguishers, an effective safety measure is to identify each of the extinguishers in a workplace and ensure staff understand which type will suit the various forms of fire. Generally you should stand around eight feet away and aim it at the base of the fire, always remembering that if you are not fighting the fire effectively, get to safety before it is too late. Legally extinguishers should be checked regularly to ensure they are in good working order and will not fail when the time for use arises.
Part of your fire safety strategy should be concerned with prevention; your risk assessment will include this aspect. This assessment will include a list of potential fire risks in any working area and their vicinity to ignition sources. Fire safety literature should also be given to staff member for them to read and remember.
Personally, they can prevent fire by smoking in designated areas and ensuring their cigarette butts are put out completely. The same can be said for equipment ensuring it is clear of combustible materials and generally clean. For electrical equipment, checking plugs and wires is important, noticing any frayed parts that may be susceptible to fire. Other than that, ensuring that flammable materials are kept separate from ignition sources and are disposed of in a correct manner will help prevent fire. While your health and safety regulations will probably cover these kinds of points, it is important to make sure procedures are being followed and that members of understand why they must follow these procedures.
Part of your responsibilities as a manager is to ensure your staff member have an effective escape route should a fire break out. Safety is your major concern so jumping out the window and running across rooftops is not a viable solution to this type of problem. Once again, your fire risk assessment will provide you with advice on how to make the most of your escape routes.
As the fire risk assessment and more generally fire safety protocols become a larger part of managerial responsibility legally, it is important to follow the law. For the sake of your business, and more importantly the safety of your staff members it is vital you have an effective strategy put in place that not only actively works at preventing the risk of fire, but also has procedures in place ensuring the safety of staff, should a fire break out.
Both Jon Butt & Thomas Pretty are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jon Butt has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marketing and Communications, Insurance and Cheap Insurance for Car. Advice on the different types of their advantages, disadvantages and optimum locations can be found at. Jon Butt's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.
Thomas Pretty has sinced written about articles on various topics from Formula One, Debts Loans and Interior Design. Regulatory compliance expert Thomas Pretty looks into the responsibilities of managers to ensure effective procedures are in followed in the workplace.. Thomas Pretty's top article generates over 1500000 views. to your Favourites.