Playing with Fire

Here at the house, new fire extinguishers have been purchased. I think we had at least one in the house before now, but I really can’t be sure. I think this purchase is a result of the tablecloth on the dining room table catching fire on Christmas Day. I had been wondering where the fire extinguishers were located in the house. I assumed we had them and had some theories on where I would look should the situation present itself. Probably not the best idea. The new ones are still in the boxes. They should probably be taken out of the box and placed strategically around the house so we can forget we have them again.

Is this common for people to either not have a fire extinguisher or just assuming that you have one but not really have any idea where it is?

I don’t believe I’ve ever used a fire extinguisher. I remember being shown how to use one many times but you are never allowed to actually try it out. This concerns me that in a panic situation that I won’t be able to do it correctly. I also have to imagine there are different brands that handle things differently. Unless perhaps there is some sort of standard way they are made.

My method of fire prevention is to not own any candles or anything I have to light. I guess on occasion I will be in possession of Birthday Candles but that is a very controlled situation. Of course I do own plenty of electronics. You never know when your laptop or cell phone battery will explode.

While considering the location of the fire extinguishers I also started wondering what I would grab if I did have to escape a burning house. If I only had one trip I think I’d need to grab my lap top, hard drive, and baby picture albums. Those items contain my more irreplaceable of belongings. Everything else can be bought again.

When I was little we had a fire escape ladder. Not like a fire escape, the ladder was in box in my closet. If there was a fire you would throw it out the window and climb down. I always thought it was cool and would be fun to play with. Mom said it wasn’t a toy and only to be used in case of emergency. What if there had been a fire and the ladder was broken? If I would have been able to play with it we would have know.

The lesson: Always play with your safety devices.