Do you have fire extinguishers in your home?

Question

After having done some research for course wrok, I have decided that I want some fire extinguishers in my home to protect my daughter and my boyfriend. Where should I put them and why? Which ones should I use?

Answer 1

Yes, we have one (a size 1 BC-type) in the kitchen.  (Though a fellow from the health dept. once told me that they recommend a size 2 BC-type instead.)  The garage is also a good place to have one.  Probably the laundry room, too.

But personally, I also keep several large canisters of salt on hand.  When we had a fire in the oven, I didn't bother with the fire extinguisher.  I was taught long ago to smother the flames with salt or baking soda or with a tight-fitting pan lid, and that's what I thought of first.  So I ripped open a salt canister and threw salt on the flames and quickly put it out.

Also, don't forget to have a fire escape plan in place:  How to get out of various rooms, especially if the door isn't accessible.  Emphasize staying low to avoid breathing in more smoke than necessary.  Have a meeting place outside the home, so that you'll know if everyone made it out or if someone's still inside.  Make sure your daughter knows that she should get out without worrying about things that can be replaced like favorite toys or something.  And in local fire safety classes here they've talked to kids a lot about not being afraid of fire fighters, since they look pretty scary when they are in full gear, sounding like Darth Vader in their masks, a lot of kids die hiding from the fire fighters instead of going to them; if you visit a fire dept., they'll often show themselves in full gear so that the child isn't scared by it.

We have fire drills at home at least once year; I'll just suddenly yell at everyone that there's a fire and they need to get out now and then we go.  Practicing it makes all the planning work better.  If you do it occasionally, you can figure out anything else that you might need to cover, as well as have everyone less panicky if the real thing ever happens.

Good luck.

Answer 2

We have one in the kitchen, one in the garage, and one in the laundry room. Those are the three places that are most likely to trigger a house fire (besides excessive plug-in use, check your outlets)

The best kind to have in your home is a dry chemical one, typically sold at all home outlet stores. Dry chemical extinguishers are filled with foam or powder and pressurized with nitrogen.

BC - This is the regular type of dry chemical extinguisher. It is filled with sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate. The BC variety leaves a mildly corrosive residue which must be cleaned immediately to prevent any damage to materials.

ABC - This is the multipurpose dry chemical extinguisher. The ABC type is filled with monoammonium phosphate, a yellow powder that leaves a sticky residue that may be damaging to electrical appliances such as a computer

Answer 3

Get one for your kitchen specifically for grease fires.  

We have one in the kitchen, one in the garage and one downstairs in the laundry room.

Answer 4

One I ust the one for grease fires in the kitchen.

Answer 5

We have one...but they need to be checked out every so often and I believe ours is probably old enough to throw away!  Thankful that wehaven't had to use it though!

Answer 6

I do. Call your local fire department and ask. They will tell you.

Answer 7

Definatly in your kitchen...and maybe one upstairs in a closet or something just in case!

It is nice you want to protect your family, you are a wonderful mother!