Is Your Mattress Fire Safe
When was the last time you went to sleep at night thinking about whether or not your mattress would catch fire, as you slept? My guess is, probably never. However, every year around 365 people die because of mattress fires. That’s one death each and every day of the year. Because of this statistic, mattress manufacturers are required to follow federal laws about using materials that are more flame retardant.
It only takes a few seconds for flames to engulf a mattress, and there is no way to make a mattress completely “fireproof”. But by using fire retardant materials in mattresses means the mattress will burn much more slowly, and can give someone time to escape from injury or even death. This is particularly important when you consider one of the main causes of death for children is from mattress fires.
Most fires can be prevented, by taking a few simple precautions. First of all, do not smoke in bed. Smoking in bed is responsible for many fire deaths each year. Mattresses manufactured after 1973 must be resistant to ignition from cigarettes. A new 2007 regulation is designed to make mattresses resistant to ignition from an open flame.
Candles are another important factor in many home fires. Candles are beautiful and fragrant, and if not used carefully, they can turn your home into a raging inferno. It’s important to be careful when you light candles, and be certain you put them out when you are through burning them. Make certain you place all candles away from combustible materials such as curtains, and never leave candles burning when you go to bed or leave the house. It only takes a few minutes to completely engulf a house in flames.
It is important to teach children, at a very early age, not to play with candles, matches or lighters. Equally as important is keeping these things out of the reach of children. Even if a child doesn’t intentionally play with fire, it’s very easy for a child to knock over a candle as it burns, so be certain all lit candles are kept in a safety zone and away from being accidentally knocked over by anyone.
No article on fire safety would be complete without mentioning the importance of smoke alarms. A smoke alarm should be installed in the kitchen as well as every bedroom. However, no number of smoke alarms will help you if the batteries are dead. Batteries should be changed once a year. I’ve found that New Year’s Day is a good day to change all of the smoke alarm batteries.
