Quick answers
What fire safety basics does every Indian home need?
Working smoke alarms, an escape plan the family has practised, equipment that is maintained, careful cooking, and safe storage of matches, fuels and chemicals, along with sound wiring, LPG fittings and chargers.
Which number should I call for a fire in India?
Call 112, or 101 for the fire brigade, once you are safely outside. Give the full address, floor, how to reach you and whether anyone is still inside. For an LPG leak, call 1906 from outside.
Should I use the lift to get out of a fire in a flat?
No. Use the stairs, and close the flat and stair doors behind you if it does not slow you down. Use a lift only if the fire brigade tells you to.
What should I do if I am trapped by a fire?
Close the door, call 112 with your exact room and floor, push cloth into the gaps to keep smoke out and signal from a window or balcony. Do not hide in a cupboard, bathroom or under a bed.
Most home fires start small: a kadhai left on the gas, an overloaded extension board behind the TV, a phone charging on the bed. What happens next depends on whether someone notices in time and whether everyone knows how to get out.
These five habits cover most of what a household needs, and none of them costs much.
1. Fit smoke alarms and keep them working
A smoke alarm warns you early, often before you see any flame, and those extra minutes are what let you get out. Fit alarms inside and outside bedrooms, and in hallways, stairwells and common areas.
Press the test button regularly. Battery and replacement rules depend on the type of alarm: some take replaceable batteries, some have sealed long-life batteries and some are wired to the mains. A common rule of thumb is to change replaceable batteries at least once a year and to replace the whole alarm about every 10 years, but follow the maker’s instructions and any end-of-life warning on the alarm. In a bigger home, interconnected alarms help, because when one goes off they all sound.
2. Make an escape plan and practise it
- Two ways out: find two ways out of every room where possible, through doors or windows. Check that window grilles can be opened from inside and that the keys are where everyone can reach them.
- Meeting point: choose a spot outside, away from the building and out of the fire brigade’s way, where everyone gathers.
- Calling for help: once you are safely outside, call 112, or 101 for the fire brigade.
- Practice: run a short drill with the whole family, once in daylight and once in low light. Decide who will help the children, older family members and anyone who cannot move quickly.
In a flat, always use the stairs, never the lift.
3. Keep your fire safety equipment ready
- Fire extinguishers: keep them where you can reach them quickly, such as near the kitchen and the parking area. Learn how to use them, and get them inspected and refilled when due. Use one only on a small fire, with your way out behind you.
- Smoke alarms: test them and look after them as described above.
- Carbon monoxide alarms: worth fitting near bedrooms if you have anything indoors that burns fuel, such as a gas geyser, a generator or a coal or wood heater. Test them like smoke alarms. They do not replace smoke alarms.
4. Take care in the kitchen
- Stay with your cooking, especially when frying or cooking on a high flame.
- Keep things that burn away from the stove: kitchen towels, dupattas, pot holders, paper and plastic packets.
- Use appliances carefully: unplug small appliances when you are not using them, and keep cords away from hot surfaces.
- If oil in a pan catches fire, and the flame is small and inside the pan, turn off the gas only if you can reach the knob safely and slide a fitting lid over the pan from the side. Leave the lid on until the pan is completely cool. Never pour water on burning oil and never carry the pan. If the flames spread beyond the pan, get out and call 101 or 112.
- If you smell gas, do not switch any light, fan or appliance on or off and do not light a flame. Turn off the regulator if you can do it safely, open the windows, leave and call the LPG emergency helpline 1906 from outside.
5. Store flammable things safely
- Matches and lighters: keep them out of children’s reach, and teach children that these are tools, not toys.
- Fuels and chemicals: store kerosene, petrol, thinners and aerosol cans in small quantities, in a well-ventilated place away from heat.
- Wiring: do not overload sockets or extension boards, and replace frayed cords. A hot plug, a buzzing socket or a switch that keeps tripping needs an electrician.
- Batteries and chargers: stop using swollen, damaged or unusually hot batteries, and do not charge phones or e-bikes on beds or in passages you need for escape.
Teach the whole family
Children should know the sound of the alarm, both ways out, the meeting point and how to call 112. They should never be expected to fight a fire. Adults can learn more through a fire safety course, or a demonstration by the local fire brigade arranged through your society or workplace.
If there is a fire
Shout to warn everyone and get out. Close doors behind you, meet outside and count heads, then call 112 or 101. Never go back in for belongings or pets.
If someone’s clothes catch fire, they should stop, drop and roll. Cool the burn under cool, clean running water for 20 minutes. No ice, toothpaste, oil or butter. Get medical help for any large or deep burn, or a burn on the face, hands or private parts.
Tonight
Press the test button on each smoke alarm, put the main-door and grille keys where everyone can reach them, and tell your family where you will meet outside.
What needs attention
- The earlier article was right to cover warning, escape, equipment, cooking and storage together rather than relying on one product
- An older version gave a US emergency number; in India the number is 112, or 101 for the fire brigade
- A yearly battery change does not suit every alarm, because some have sealed long-life batteries or are wired to the mains
- The 10-year alarm replacement rule is common US advice; the maker's instructions and end-of-life signal come first
- Testing an alarm only helps if everyone knows what to do when it sounds
- A plan on paper fails if a key is missing, a grille is locked, smoke fills the passage or nobody is assigned to help a dependent person
- Fire safety in a flat also depends on the building's stairs, doors, alarms, lighting, pumps and access
- An extinguisher is only for a small, early fire and is no reason to stay in heat or smoke
- A carbon monoxide alarm depends on what burns fuel in the home and does not replace a smoke alarm
- Kitchen advice must say clearly: no water on burning oil, and never carry a burning pan
- Flammables include LPG, fuels, aerosols, alcohol-based liquids, matches, lighters and some batteries
- Overloaded or damaged wiring is a separate fire risk and needs its own check
- Children should know the alarm, the way out, the meeting point and 112, but should never be given extinguisher duty
- A short "first five minutes" card by the door is easier to follow under stress than a long article
Controls that reduce risk
- Put 112, 101, the LPG helpline 1906 and your full address where every adult can see them
- Check every alarm works, is not painted over or covered, and shows its date and replacement details
- Follow the alarm instructions for placement, testing, cleaning, batteries and replacing the unit
- Draw a plan of the home and mark two ways out of each bedroom where possible
- Pick an outdoor meeting point that does not block fire engines
- Name a main and a backup helper for anyone who cannot get out alone
- Keep door and grille keys where they can be reached from inside without searching
- Run one drill in daylight and one in low light, including the alarm, the stairs and a head count
- Keep passages, balconies, stairs, fire doors and firefighting equipment clear
- Check each extinguisher's place, seal, gauge, condition and service date
- Stay in the kitchen while frying or boiling and keep a fitting lid nearby
- Move towels, paper, packets, oil bottles and loose clothing away from the stove
- Check the LPG hose, regulator area and ventilation, and call the gas agency for any damage or leak
- Lock away matches, lighters and flammable liquids from children and heat
- Take heavy appliances off makeshift adapters and get recurring electrical warning signs checked
- Stop using swollen, damaged, recalled or unusually hot batteries and chargers
- Report faults in the building's fire doors, alarms, emergency lights, pumps or stairs to the society in writing
- Stick a "first five minutes" card by the main door and go through it with the family
Common unsafe practices
- Writing a number from a foreign article on the emergency card instead of 112, 101 and your full address
- Fitting alarms and then switching them off after a few false alarms
- Following a fixed battery schedule instead of the alarm's own instructions and end-of-life signal
- Having only one way out and not checking windows, grilles, locked doors or passages that fill with smoke
- Practising only with adults and leaving out children, older people, anyone with a disability or hearing loss, and pets
- Going back for valuables, documents or pets once you are out
- Using the lift during a fire
- Wedging fire doors open or storing things in stairs and passages
- Buying an extinguisher without learning its type, its servicing or when not to use it
- Trying to fight a growing fire, walking into smoke or letting the fire get between you and the door
- Throwing water on burning oil or carrying the pan outside
- Switching on a light, fan, chimney, doorbell or phone near a suspected gas leak
- Overloading adapters and extension boards, or ignoring hot plugs, buzzing, a burning smell or repeated tripping
- Charging damaged or swollen batteries in bedrooms, passages or next to things that burn
- Leaving matches, lighters, fuels, solvents or aerosols where children can reach them or near heat
- Assuming the society will notice and fix every fault in shared fire equipment without a written complaint
Leave a comment