Home fire safety and using an extinguisher

Where house fires start

Most house fires begin with something ordinary: cooking left unattended, bedding or laundry next to a heater, a power strip loaded with several heating appliances, dusty sockets, a cigarette not fully put out, or a battery that swells up while charging. What they have in common is that they start when nobody is watching. So the first step in preparing isn't the extinguisher but the habits that remove the conditions for a fire.

• Don't leave cooking unattended
• Keep bedding, clothes and paper away from heaters
• Don't overload power strips; wipe dust off plugs
• Stop charging any battery that swells or gets hot

Setting up alarms and extinguishers

A fire alarm is the most important device you own, because it warns you while you are asleep. Put them where smoke travels, such as bedrooms and the living room; kitchens often use heat-sensing types because cooking fumes set off smoke alarms. Press the test button regularly to make sure it sounds. Keep the extinguisher somewhere everyone in the household knows, on the way out rather than right next to where a fire is likely. For deep-fat fires there are dedicated kitchen extinguishers. Check your local authority or fire service for any rules or support on home fire equipment.

• Use the test button to check alarms
• Keep the extinguisher visible, on the way out
• Get a kitchen extinguisher for oil fires

The four steps of using an extinguisher

For the common household dry powder extinguisher, there are four steps. The pin is hard to pull while you grip the handle, so hold the body and pull it out. Next, point the nozzle at the end of the hose towards the fire, then squeeze the handle firmly. Aim not at the flames but at the base of whatever is burning, and sweep from side to side as if using a broom. Indoors, stand a few steps back with the exit behind you; outdoors, keep the wind at your back. Your way out should always be behind you.

• Pull the pin
• Aim the nozzle at the fire
• Squeeze the handle
• Sweep at the base of the fire

It empties faster than you think

A household extinguisher discharges for a much shorter time than most people expect. Hesitate and spray into the air, and it can run out before you even get close. That is why you aim accurately at the base from the very start. A fire that looks out can flare up again, so keep watching for a while, and ventilate afterwards, because the powder blocks your view and makes it hard to breathe. Never use water on a fire in an electrical appliance; if you can reach the breaker safely, switch it off first, then use the extinguisher.

• Aim accurately at the base from the start
• Keep watching after it seems out
• No water on electrical fires; cut the power first if you can

When to stop and get out

Fighting a fire early only makes sense while it is small. If any of the situations below applies, stop trying and leave immediately. Smoke spreads far faster than flames, and a few breaths of it can make it hard to move. Shout to warn others as you go, and call the fire service once you are somewhere safe. Never go back in for your phone or valuables.

• Flames reach the ceiling
• Smoke starts to fill the room
• One whole extinguisher has made no difference
• Your way out looks like it could be cut off

Escaping through smoke

Smoke and heat rise, so stay low and move with one hand on the wall. Cover your nose and mouth with a damp towel or your sleeve. Before opening a closed door, touch the handle and the door with the back of your hand; if they are hot, there is fire on the other side, so don't open it and find another way. Closing doors behind you slows the spread of fire and smoke. Always use the stairs, since a lift can stop or turn into a shaft for smoke.

• Stay low and cover your nose and mouth
• Don't open a door with a hot handle
• Close doors behind you
• Take the stairs, not the lift

What to know in a flat or apartment

Many Korean apartments have at least one of these on the balcony: a thin partition wall you can break through to the neighbour's side, a refuge space to shelter from the fire, or a hatch with a ladder down to the floor below. Find out which one your home has, and keep it clear of clutter, or it won't help you. If the fire isn't in your home and smoke isn't coming in, some guidance says to close the door and assess the situation, following announcements and fire service instructions, rather than heading straight into a smoke-filled stairwell.

• Check for a partition wall, refuge space or escape hatch
• Don't stack things in front of it
• Agree on a meeting point with your family

Common mistakes and a caution

Many people buy an extinguisher and never look at it again. If yours has a pressure gauge, check now and then that the needle is in the normal range, and that the manufacture date and use-by period printed on the body haven't passed. Taking an alarm down or removing its battery because it is annoying is another common mistake. Never pour water on burning oil, and don't delay calling for help while you try to fight the fire alone. This article is general guidance; in a real emergency, instructions from the fire service always come first.