3 Holiday Fire Safety Tips for the Whole Family
Skidding on some ice on the way up the driveway and burning your hand while cooking may seem like a seasonal right of passage during the winter. But this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what can go wrong when family gets together.
Fires and other serious accidents can happen despite it being the most wonderful time of the year, and they may even ruin the festivities if they send you or your guests to the emergency room.
Here at Evacuscape, we believe being prepared is tantamount to being safe. That’s why we created the evacuation chair for stairs for individuals and businesses. With an evacuation chair on hand, you’re prepared to give people with limited mobility a safe way out in an emergency.
While your holiday emergency may not require one of our evacuation chairs, we can still help you prioritize safety this winter. Keep reading to learn how to celebrate responsibly this year. Here are some of our favourite holiday fire safety tips.
1. Have a Fire Escape Plan
The holidays bring with them fire hazards unique to the season. There’s a big chance you’re cooking more often, overloading electrical outlets, and wrapping lights around a Christmas tree. These habits increase the chances you’ll see a fire in the home.
If a fire breaks out and blocks the front and back doors, do you know the next quickest exit? This split-second decision may save your family’s life, but it can be difficult to make when your house is going up in flames. That’s why fire safety officials recommend having a fire escape plan in place before you come face-to-face with this emergency.
A fire escape plan prepares you for the worst-case scenario ahead of time so that you already know to react quickly under pressure.
To make one before the holidays, examine each room in your home or apartment and imagine how you would escape it if there was a fire. Fire safety experts recommend finding two exits in every room. This way, you’ll have an alternative escape route in case fire blocks your usual point of egress.
2. Invest in an Evacuation Chair for Stairs
If you live in a multi-storied apartment building, the stairwells become an integral part of your escape strategy. Unfortunately, elevators often go into emergency mode when the fire alarm has been tripped, so you can’t rely on them to move between floors.
This may not be an issue if everyone in your family is healthy and non-disabled, but it could pose a challenge for loved ones with reduced mobility. Seniors, pregnant people, and individuals who rely on mobility tools may not be able to descend stairs confidently. Some critically ill or injured people may not be able to navigate them at all.
You can solve this problem of mobility with an evacuation chair for stairs. This chair helps people with reduced mobility descend the stairs quickly and safely when they can’t on their own.
Our evacuation chair for stairs relies on a sophisticated system of wheels and runners that allow it to navigate both hallways and staircases. The person who requires help simply straps in before a loved one can operate the chair. To see how they work, check out these videos of one of our evacuation chairs in action.
Here at Evacuscape, we recognize that mobility issues are as unique as the person who has them. That’s why we offer two evacuation chair models.
The EC1
The EC1 is our base evacuation chair model that’s perfect for the average person who requires assistance in an emergency. Its padded seat and backrest come equipped with a lap safety belt and head restraint strap to keep its user comfortably and safely contained.
Weighing in at just 12.5 kg (27.5 lbs), the chair is lightweight so that it’s easy to maneuver. It can easily support up to 180 kg (400 lbs), and its speed reducing V belt track make it easy enough for one person to operate.
The EC2
The EC2 has all the features of our basic evacuation chair. However, it comes with a few added features for those who need more support.
- Detachable front carry handle
- Fail-safe braking system
- 5-point harness and head restraint strap
Due to these extra features, the EC2 weighs slightly more at 14.5 kg (32 lbs), but it remains simple to operate due to our sophisticated wheels and tracking system.
3. Reduce Fire Hazards
While a fire plan and an evacuation chair are essential tools to have in an emergency, you can only hope you don’t have to use them over the holidays. You can decrease the chances you’ll need to evacuate by eliminating holiday fire hazards.
- Use power cords for all your Christmas decorations. Remember to turn them off when no one is home.
- Cook mindfully. Use timers, keep children away from the stove, and know the safe way to put out a kitchen fire. Hint, it’s not with water!
- Don’t leave candles, stoves, or fires unattended. Only use the stove, make a fire, or light a candle when you plan to stay in the room.
- Have a fire extinguisher on hand. There are four different kinds of fire extinguishers that you can get. Each one has a different purpose, so pay close attention to its class before you buy one for the kitchen and other rooms in your house.
Have a Safe and Happy Holiday!
Holiday emergencies may be the last thing you want to think about as you go about the hustle and bustle but trust us — it’s worth adding this little chore to your holiday to-do list. A little forward thinking can help you prevent many of the common seasonal mishaps from interfering with your plans. And you’ll be better prepared in case something does go sideways.
We hope these tips have helped. If you’re still wondering if you should add an evacuation chair to your plans, give us a call. We can answer the big question for businesses: do you need to provide an evacuation chair? Plus, we’re around for any more questions you may have about how our evacuation chairs work.
Until then, we hope you have a safe holiday and a Happy New Year!
