Apartment administrators: make sure a fire doesn’t spoil the festive mood
2024.12.23
With the big holidays approaching, apartment building maintenance professionals are urging people to think not only about decorating their homes and giving presents, but also about fire safety at home. Deividas Karalius, Regional Manager of Civinity, a multi-family administration and maintenance company, explains the most common causes of house fires and how to avoid them.
Use only quality Christmas garlands
Christmas garlands are one of the most popular home decorations. If you use decorations that are plugged into the mains, it’s important to make sure they are of good quality and won’t start a fire in your home.
It is advisable to check electric garlands before using them, especially those that have been in use for several years. Their wires may be mechanically damaged, bulbs may be broken or switches may be damaged, which could cause a fire. If any damage to the garlands is observed, it is not recommended to use them.
Even when using good quality, undamaged electric garlands, it is important not to leave them unattended:
“These home decorations are connected to the mains and can catch fire, for example if the wires are frayed. It is therefore important to keep the lights on only when you are at home and to make sure they are switched off at night,” advises Karalius.
Use candles carefully
Fires in the home are one of the most common fires caused by careless use of candles. To avoid a disaster, there are a few simple steps you can take to make candle use safer.
Although many people throw away candle instructions without reading them, it is important to pay attention to the burning time before using them. It is also important to burn candles when they are placed stably on a non-combustible surface such as a metal candle holder. This will help to ensure that when the candle burns out, the fire does not spread elsewhere, such as on a table.
The expert also points out that candles must be at least 10 cm apart from each other and must not be burned near other heat sources such as televisions, radiators etc. It is also important that candles are not burned near curtains, furniture or other objects that could catch fire from the candle’s flame.
A common mistake is to leave candles unattended, so the expert reminds us to always extinguish them before leaving the room.
Keep firecrackers and fireworks away from dwellings
Although firecrackers and fireworks have become an integral part of the festive season, the expert recommends that they should be used responsibly to ensure the safety of the home. Firecrackers or fireworks used close to the house can obstruct the house and set it on fire, as well as entering flats through open windows.
If you want to set off firecrackers or fireworks, it is important to do so as far away from dwellings as possible. Each municipality has its own procedures restricting the use of firecrackers and fireworks. In Kaunas, the use of pyrotechnics is not allowed within 30 metres of residential buildings, while in Vilnius and Klaipėda this distance cannot be less than 75 metres.
Violators of the pyrotechnics regime can be fined between €14 and €60, and between €80 and €300 for repeated offences. Children often play with pyrotechnics, but this does not mean that they are not responsible. Parents are responsible for administrative offences committed by children under the age of 16, so they can be fined.
Fire safety precautions should not be forgotten
Fires caused by careless use of electrical appliances and fire sources in the home pose a serious risk to the inhabitants of the entire block of flats. It is therefore important to keep fire safety in mind and to provide safety equipment in every home.
“Smoke detectors should be installed and regularly checked in every apartment, and we recommend that all residents have a fire extinguisher in their home that has not expired. The same measures should be installed in the common areas of all apartment blocks,” says Mr Karalius.
Ensuring a smooth evacuation in the event of a disaster
“The Civinity specialist also reminds that in the common staircases, corridors, balconies and emergency exits of apartment buildings, it is forbidden to store objects that would hinder the evacuation of people in the event of a fire.
“We often encounter the problem of apartment dwellers storing certain items, such as bicycles, wheelchairs, sledges, various furniture, in the stairwells or common areas of the basement. Any items that litter the passageways are prohibited as they pose a high risk to all the occupants of the building and increase the risk of a fire spreading quickly,” says the expert.