KZN Emergency Medical Services attends to multiple cases every year that involve fires. The number of incidents increase as winter approaches and during the winter months. This may be attributed to several factors, which include the cold, which results in people making fires for heat. Increased use of candles and the activities where fire is used are more likely to occur inside due to the cold. Most fire-related cases that are responded to involve fires, burns wounds, smoke inhalation and accidental ingestion of liquid gel fuels.
Another common cause of fires are illegal or unsafe electrical connections. This can range from where cables are connected to a power source illegally or unsafe wiring, where the wiring has not been done correctly. Plug points are also often overloaded with multiple devices connected to a plug.
When needing to use candles, gas stoves or braziers, consider the following safety points:
DON’T
· Leave candles or cookers unattended.
· Leave cooking pots unattended while they are being used on a stove.
· Allow children to play around fires.
· Use candles or cookers near curtains or on an uneven surface.
· Use illegal or unsafe electric connections.
· Go to sleep with candles, fires or braziers used for heat still burning.
· Lock people inside a house.
· Use homemade cookers or heating appliances.
DO
· Ensure adequate ventilation when using braziers or generators and preferably don’t use them inside.
· Teach children about fire and its dangers.
· Extinguish all flames before leaving them unattended or going to sleep.
· Store stove fuels and flammable fluids safely.
· Keep matches away from children.
If there is a fire or it is suspected that there may be a fire, immediate action needs to be taken
· Raise the alarm and wake up others in the house. This many also mean neighbours, depending on the living arrangements.
· Evacuate the building, crawl if necessary.
· If cloths are on fire, lie on the floor and roll.
· Only put water on burn wounds.
· Remove burnt clothing and jewellery from burnt areas the of body.
· Don’t go back into the burning structure.
· Call emergency services.
The storage of liquid fuels (paraffin, liquid gel fuels) used in stoves and lanterns is also very important, as they could be accidentally consumed by children. The following precautions can be taken with regard to liquid fuels:
· Store the fuel away from where the devices are used.
· Don’t store fuel in beverage containers.
· Use a container that seals well and preferably has a safety cap.
· Educate children in the house about the fuel and store it out of their reach.
· If cooking with gas, close the valve of the cylinder correctly after using it.
Despite there being many aspects of fire safety. these are a few basic concepts that can help prevent the start and spread of fires, which can not only cause burns but also severe complications from inhaling the smoke produced by fires.
