From Guest Blogger Michael Peggs: Identifying Common Fire Hazards in Your Building Is An Environmental Issue

A fire in your building can have a devastating effect on your property and the surrounding area; and can even place people’s lives in danger. When a building blaze occurs, the fire produces not only heat and smoke, but also toxic emissions and gases harmful to the environment. Buildings contain a wide variety of synthetic materials, including insulation, electrical equipment, carpeting, and soft furnishings and, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), the potential for severe health impacts from smoke inhalation during building fires is continuously increasing.

Many fires can be prevented by identifying common fire hazards in your building and selecting the right fire alarm and prevention provider to ensure your property’s safety. It is of vital importance that home and business owners choose a reputable company that provides round the clock support and the necessary expertise to install the right systems to meet their needs; it’s also very important to ask the right questions before selecting a fire alarm company.

The NFPA urges all citizens to ensure that their smoke alarms are working correctly as, if there is a fire in your home or at work, your smoke alarm will give you the time you need to vacate the building as quickly as possible. Almost two-thirds of home fire deaths are the result of fires in homes with no smoke alarms or non-functioning smoke alarms. While some blazes are unpreventable and unexpected, the resounding majority of building fires can be avoided by identifying and fixing common hazards. Below are the ten most common causes of building fires:

1. Damaged power cords and cables – to reduce the risk of a fire breaking out in your home or office, ensure that computers, printers, lamps, kettles, and other electrical items’ cables are not worn or damaged, as they can produce electric shocks and sparks that cause fires.

2. Overheating extension leads – Without realizing, many people overload their electrical sockets, plugging in their telephones, printers, computers, coffee machines, and more, leading their extension cables to overheat and burst into flames.

3. Objects that generate heat – Because heat is a vital component of fire, be sure to keep flammable materials, such as paper, away from heat sources and unplug any equipment that might heat up when not being used.

4. Combustible materials in the office or home – Care should be taken when using flammable liquids and aerosols; and discarded packaging, trash cans, and kitchen waste can all provide plenty of fuel for fires. Furniture, such as sofas, are made of flammable fabrics, which can burn rapidly. Therefore, choosing fire resistant furniture is a good idea to help slow down a blaze.

5. Fire dangers of computer equipment and laptops – While most computers have built-in mechanisms to cool them down, these can fail. Papers and other combustibles must be kept at a distance from monitors and CPUs so that they are not ignited.

6. Smoking – staff should be provided with safety approved ashtrays and not be allowed to smoke next to flammable materials. Homeowners must take care to ensure that their cigarette end is properly extinguished.

7. Leaving candles unattended – a major cause of house fires, candles and incense burners should never ever be left unattended.

8. Out of date fire extinguishers – According to The Red & Black, out of date fire extinguishers can be a major cause in failure to get a fire under control.

9. Dust Build-up – Equipment and machinery that heats up when used should be kept clean and free of grease and dust so that this does not burn, starting a fire.

10. Human error – Leaving cooking unattended, or matches in the reach of children for example – just using common sense and being aware can help avoid fires.

It’s very often a simple question of using common sense when it comes to avoiding a fire in your home. Identify and fixing fire hazards in your building can save lives and money, and ensure your peace of mind remains intact.

Michael Peggs is the founder of Marccx Media, a digital marketing agency specializing in SEO and Content Marketing. Before Marcxx, Peggs worked at Google in business development, forming digital media and advertising partnerships. He is also a blogger and podcaster, hosting the iTunes Top 10 New & Noteworthy podcast You University – The Personal Branding Podcast.