Home fire safety: smoke alarms, extinguishers, escape route

Most victims of home fires do not die from the flames but from the smoke – often while asleep. Fire smoke contains toxic gases, including carbon monoxide, which you cannot smell. People who are asleep are not reliably woken by it. A smoke alarm detects smoke early and wakes you with a loud tone. It buys you the crucial minutes to get out.

A fire grows frighteningly fast in a room. In the first seconds, a starting fire – such as a burning pan or a wastepaper basket – can sometimes still be smothered with simple means. After that, furniture, curtains and ceiling heat up, smoke fills the room from top to bottom, and soon only escape helps.

Closed doors slow fire and smoke. That is why you close the doors behind you on your way out, and why it makes sense to close the bedroom door at night. Because hot smoke rises, the air near the floor often stays breathable longer – in a smoky hallway it can help to move bent over or on all fours.

Smoke alarms belong on the ceiling in bedrooms, children's rooms and hallways used as escape routes – and at least one on every level. In many regions they are required, but numbers and locations differ – check local rules. Test every alarm once a month with the test button, and replace batteries and units as the manufacturer specifies. Never take the battery out just because the alarm beeps when you cook.

An escape plan means: for every room you know two ways out, such as the door and a window. You agree on a meeting point outside, for example the street lamp in front of the house, so you can see straight away whether everyone is there. Escape routes are kept clear, and the house key is kept within reach at a fixed place at night. Practise the plan together so that children know it too.

Fire blankets and extinguishers are meant for small starting fires. The fire blanket hangs near the kitchen, the extinguisher clearly visible near the exit, so that you have your escape route behind you while fighting the fire. Read the instructions before you need them – the label also says which fires the extinguisher is suitable for – and have it serviced as the manufacturer specifies.

If a fire spreads or the room is smoky: get everyone out immediately, close doors behind you and call the local emergency number (112 in the EU) from outside. Say where the fire is, what is burning and whether anyone is still inside the building. Do not go back in – not for pets, not for valuables. Tell the responders who or what is still inside.

Before opening a closed door, feel with the back of your hand whether the door or the handle is hot. If it is hot, there may be fire behind it – then take another way. If no way is clear, stay in a room with the door closed, seal the gap under the door with cloths, make yourself noticed at the window and call the emergency number. Do not use a lift in a fire.

Only fight a fire if it is small, your escape route stays clear behind you and you feel confident. Never put water on burning fat or oil: turn off the heat, put on a lid or fire blanket and leave it until everything has cooled down – or use an extinguisher rated for it. If clothing catches fire: stop, drop to the ground, cover your face with your hands and roll back and forth.

During long power cuts, many people turn to candles – and the fire risk rises. Battery-powered lights are much safer. If you do use candles: never unattended, never near curtains, paper or children, and always on a fireproof, stable base. Put out all candles before going to sleep.

Backup heaters are a second fire source. They need distance from furniture, curtains and laundry, and only appliances approved for indoor use belong in the home. Never run grills, camping stoves, patio heaters or generators indoors – besides the fire risk, they produce carbon monoxide. A carbon monoxide alarm is a separate device for that; a smoke alarm does not detect carbon monoxide.

In a crisis especially, the fire service may take longer because many incidents are running at once. That is one more reason to stop fires from starting in the first place: do not leave cooking unattended, do not overload power strips, and store flammable supplies such as fuels separately and according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Walk through the home together and show the two ways out of every room. Let the smoke alarm beep once using the test button so that children in particular know the sound and understand: this noise means get out right away. Then walk together to the meeting point outside. Children should also learn not to hide – firefighters find them less easily under a bed or in a wardrobe.

Practise once how to pull a fire blanket out of its case and hold it in front of you so your hands are protected – without a real fire. Using a fire extinguisher is best learned on a course, such as those sometimes offered by fire services or relief organisations. Real fire for practice never belongs in the home.

Ready.gov recommends smoke alarms on every level and in sleeping areas, monthly tests, a practised escape plan and the rule “get out, stay out, call for help”. Germany's BBK lists smoke alarms, fire extinguishers and fire blankets as part of household preparedness. For advice on your home or on extinguishing agents in detail, the local fire service is the right contact.