A recent fire incident in Pretoria North has once again highlighted the importance of year round fire safety. Fidelity ADT encourages residents and business owners to ensure their homes and businesses are, firstly, equipped to detect a fire and, secondly, to deal with one should a fire break out. “While the risk of a fire in a home or a business increases during the winter months, a fire can start at any time, often with devastating consequences,” says Gerrit Rheeder Community Development Manager for Fidelity ADT.

“A small flame can rage out of control and escalate into a major fire in less than 30 seconds,” he adds. In this latest incident in Pretoria North, Fidelity ADT responded to an alarm. On arrival Reaction Officer Moloko found the customer’s Lapa had caught fire and had already burnt down. The fire brigade arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire is unknown.

As a key preventative measure, Reeder advises that home and business owners consider installing a fire detector. “A carbon monoxide fire detector is a safe, effective, and unobtrusive way of protecting a home or business against the dangers of fires. It acts as an early warning detection service of a potential fire hazard. The detector will not pick up a naked flame but rather smoke or a smoldering fire.” It is then critical to have at least 2 – 3 portable hand held fire extinguishers. “These need to be serviced at least once a year to ensure they work when you need them most.”

Once all the fire protection equipment is in place, it is important to ensure that all members of the household or business are aware of the fire drill procedures before an emergency occurs. Rheeder offers the following important tips on fire safety and encourages parents to speak to their children about these tips:

• Do not overload electrical sockets or run electrical cords under carpets
• Develop and practice an escape plan – plan two ways out of every bedroom
• Display your local Fire Department telephone number near the phone, then memorise it
• Crawl on the floor when there is smoke
• Never open a door that is hot to the touch
• Wake everybody in the house
• If your clothing catches fire – STOP, DROP & ROLL
• Have a safe place to meet out of the house
• Never re-enter the house for pets or personal belongings
• Tackle the fire if it is safe to do so

“Remember, in a fire emergency every second counts. Getting the fire department to the property as soon as possible is crucial. It is also very important that the fire department can access the property when they arrive so ensure someone nearby has keys to enable access. People should only attempt to tackle a fire if it is safe to do so, larger fires should be left to experienced fire department personnel,” concludes Rheeder.

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COMPILED ON BEHALF OF ADT BY CATHY FINDLEY PUBLIC RELATIONS. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Jacqui Moloi on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 071 764 8233