Fire Safety and Preparedness

Welcome to the September 2014 Natural Living Blog Carnival: Family Preparedness. This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Natural Living Blog Carnival hosted by Happy Mothering and the Green Moms Network. Since September is National Preparedness month, our members are talking about family preparedness this month. Be sure to visit all of the posts listed at the bottom of mine to get ideas on how your family can be more prepared for a potential disaster or emergency.

 *   *   *   *   *

 

Chobie’s enthusiasm for playing fire fighter, inspired by his papa’s graduation from fire academy, has gotten me thinking about fire preparedness in our home. We all know about “Stop, drop, and roll!”and having a fire escape plan that we’ve discussed with our kids, but what about fire prevention strategies? 

As it turns out my crunchy home furnishing choices have advantages for our family besides aesthetic appeal and being non-toxic. One of the less-often discussed aspects of natural material products in the home, compared with synthetics, is their fire resistance. Natural materials like wood, wool and even cotton naturally burn less readily and quickly compared with synthetics, even those that have been soaked in carcinogenic flame retardants. This is part of what inspired our switch from synthetic couches to a wood futon with a cotton mattress. 

Besides natural fiber furniture, snug fitting cotton pajamas are a natural alternative to synthetic pajamas with flame retardants, as many of us already know.

Our fire prevention strategies:

• Safe storage of fire-making materials (matches, lighters, etc.)
• Fire extinguishers near the wood stove
• Favoring natural fiber home furnishings and bedding
• Cotton pajamas 

To be prepared for a house fire you can also:

• Check smoke detectors regularly
• Have a fire escape plan that you have practiced, with a designated safe place to meet outside
• Keep fire escape ladders in upstairs windows
• Talk to kids about how to use 9-1-1 in an emergency

What do you do with your family to prevent or prepare for fires?

*   *   *   *   *

Visit Happy Mothering and to learn more about participating in next month’s Natural Living Blog Carnival! Please take some time to enjoy the posts our other carnival participants have contributed: