As our loved ones age, it is natural for us to worry more about their wellbeing at home. Later life can lead to problems with mobility and forgetfulness, which could increase the likelihood of accidents. As a result, it is important to support your loved one’s safety at home. Fires are a concern for many people, and the government’s annual report found that elderly people are at increased risk of fire-related fatalities. To help protect your elderly relatives, we have created this list of fire safety tips.
Causes of House Fires
The fire and rescue service are called to over 600,000 fires every year. Around 140 a day occur at home, which could be particularly dangerous for elderly loved ones. Many elderly people struggle with their mobility, which could pose a risk if a fire occurs at home.
One of the most important fire safety tips is to prevent fires from happening. To do so, it is important to understand the most common causes.
1. Cooking appliances
Almost half of all house fires start at a cooking appliance, such as an oven, microwave, or toaster. This could be caused by food being left unattended or flammable objects being left in contact with the appliance. Some spillages can also cause fires.
2. Faulty electronics
When electronics go wrong, they can spark or overheat, causing fires. Overloaded plug sockets and frayed cables are commonly responsible for fires in the home. Improperly stored or damaged batteries could cause fires, too.
3. Smoking
Cigarettes and lighters often contribute to house fires. Failing to put out a cigarette properly could result in it igniting a nearby surface. Lighter fluid can leak without you realising, resulting in fire hazards around the house.
4. Candles
Forgetting to blow out a candle could result in fire. If a candle gets knocked over, it could also ignite flammable objects.
Preventing Fires at Home
Fortunately, there are plenty of fire safety tips your elderly loved ones can follow to reduce their risk of fires at home. If there is a fire, some tips can also make it easier to respond to it.
Cook Cautiously
Your elderly relatives will find that there are many benefits to cooking for themselves. However, it is important that they do so carefully to make sure they stay safe. One of the most important fire safety tips in the kitchen is to never leave food unattended when frying, boiling, or grilling. Keeping an eye on what is being cooked makes it easier to react if it starts to burn.
Your loved one should also make sure they keep flammable items away from their cooking appliances. These include tea towels, kitchen tissue, and cleaning cloths. These should be stored where they will not get hot.
Keeping the oven clean is another effective way to reduce the risk of fires. A build-up of fat or grease could catch alight when cooking. Similarly, it is important that they do not use too much fat or oil in their cooking, especially when frying food.
Another risk when cooking is wearing clothes with baggy sleeves. Sleeves could catch the handles of pans and cause them to spill, or may be set alight when resting on hot surfaces or dangling over gas burners.
Be Responsible with Plugs
Nowadays, most households will contain several electrical items. These may include televisions, phone chargers, and standing lamps. If your elderly relatives are particularly tech-savvy, they may also have a computer or even a games console in their home. However, it is important to be responsible when plugging appliances into the mains power supply.
In older homes, there may not be enough plug sockets, leading to the use of extension cables. However, the more extension cables you use, the greater the chance of your electrics overheating.
If your loved one has an extension cable plugged into another cable, this is risking an overload. Furthermore, appliances plugged into an extension cable should not exceed the maximum rating marked on the cable.
Moreover, your loved one should check their cables for damage. If there are any signs of damage to a cable or socket, it should not be used. Similarly, if a cable or socket shows signs of sparking, smoking, melting, scorching, or if there is a burning smell coming from it, it should be switched off immediately.
Be Sensible with Heaters
Any heat source can be a potential cause of a fire. Therefore, it’s important to use these safely and sensibly. The fire service recommends keeping at least one metre between your heater and any flammable objects, including furniture, paper, and even people.
If your loved one is using a plug-in heater, make sure it is only plugged into the mains power. It should always be placed on a solid, level surface to reduce the likelihood of it falling over. The heater should also never be used for drying clothes, as this can be a fire risk.
If your loved one uses emollient skin creams, they should be extra careful when using heaters. This is because many emollients contain paraffin or other ingredients that leave a flammable residue. Though these creams are not flammable themselves, when the ingredients are absorbed into clothing, they can become a risk factor. Therefore, it is important to remain at least one metre away from heaters – it’s also advised that emollient users avoid smoking.
Encourage Your Relative to Quit Smoking
Smoking is harmful to the health of your relative and the people around them. In later life, smoking can become even more dangerous. If your relative is developing any memory problems, or has a condition like Parkinson’s that impacts their movement, they may be more likely to cause a smoking-related fire.
Stopping smoking can be a challenge, especially if your loved one has been doing it for a long time. However, it is worthwhile to improve their general health and safety at home. Discuss the dangers of smoking, including rogue embers on furniture. Falling asleep with a lit cigarette in their hand could also cause a fire.
If you struggle to convince someone to stop smoking completely, encourage them to use a vape instead. This can help them continue to sate their nicotine cravings with less risk of fires – though vapes can still cause fires if faulty or used improperly.
Check Their Smoke Alarms
Regardless of how many fire safety tips you follow, there is always a risk that a fire could develop. Fortunately, an early warning system such as a smoke alarm can help to reduce the risk of damage to property or your loved one.
Your loved one should have a smoke alarm fitted on every floor of their home. Smoke alarms are available with battery or mains power. Some come with both, providing a back-up option. Their smoke alarm should be tested at least once a year to make sure it works.
For extra reassurance, you can also consider an alarm-linked smoke detector. These alarms link to your personal alarm provider, calling the Care Team when a fire is detected as well as sounding an audible alert. This means emergency support can be arranged on your loved one’s behalf whilst they get away from the hazard.
Keep the House Tidy
Nothing helps fire spread quite like a cluttered home. Fire needs three things to spread: fuel, oxygen, and heat. By removing one of these things, fire risk is reduced.
One of the easiest fire safety tips to follow is to keep the house clean and open. Keeping floors clear and leaving space between household items can help to slow or stop the spread of a fire. Doorways, stairs, and corridors should be kept tidy as much as possible. As well as slowing fire spread, it also provides an easy route out of the home in the event of an emergency.
Moreover, removing clutter reduces the risk of your loved one tripping over, making it a great tip for preventing falls.
Have a Plan
There is an old adage that says, “Prepare for the worst and hope for the best”. This is true with fire safety tips. Naturally, we all hope that there will never be a fire at our loved ones’ homes. However, if a fire does occur it’s important that they know what to do.
Take the time to sit down with your elderly relative and discuss what they should do in the event of a fire. Agree on the best route to safety and consider back-up plans. Invest in a fire extinguisher that your loved one can use if there is a small fire. They may also want to consider a personal alarm that they can activate to call for help – an alarm-linked smoke detector is the perfect purchase to accompany your loved one’s alarm.
Check for Hazards Before Bed
Fires don’t only happen when people are awake, and fires pose more of a risk when you are sleeping. Therefore, your loved one should get into the habit of checking their home for hazards before they go to bed. Things to consider include:
- Are doors closed to stop fire from spreading?
- Have they turned off the oven and other heating appliances?
- Are all candles and cigarettes put out properly?
- Is their exit route clear?
- If they have a fireplace, is the fire guard in place?
We would all like to assume that the sound of a smoke alarm will wake our loved ones. However, if they are hard of hearing this may not always be enough. Fortunately, there are vibration pads available that can be connected to a smoke detector, waking your loved one in an emergency.
Personal Alarms from Careline365
Our mission is to support your loved ones to live safely and independently in their own homes. A personal alarm provides this reassurance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at an affordable price. You and your loved one will know that help is always available at the press of a button – or with our automatic fall detection plans.
A personal alarm could also provide extra peace of mind in the event of a fire. Your loved one will know they can activate their alarm to call for help; our Care Team can call the emergency services to get your loved one the help they need. Furthermore, our alarm-linked smoke detectors will raise an automatic alert with our Care Team if they sense smoke.
To find out more about the Careline alarm service, view our products or read our helpful guide. If you have any questions, get in touch with our friendly team by calling on 0800 030 8777. To order your alarm, you can speak to our team or buy online.
