Dangers of home fires for wheelchair bound
What seems to be a simple thing to do, get out of the house before the fire gets too bad isn’t so simple. Many fires start and and stay small for some time but crank out all kinds of gases that can force you to lose consciousness before you knew that there was a problem. Another problem is where you do see the fire but it is blocking the exit you use to get out. What is the best way to attack that problem? Just try to push through the fire and hope that you get through before the fire gets to you? An alternate plan would be to barricade yourself into a room with towels and water. The towels are used to block off the smoke from getting into the room. While that will work temporarily save you from the fire what now? Call 911 and let them know which room you are in. Regardless of the situation, for single family homes the fire department will always be able to create an opening in the wall to get you out.
Do you have a fire plan? Do you have any idea how you would deal with a fire in your home? This is not the kind of plan that you want to put together as you go along. I would call your local fire department and have then stop by and help you with your plan. They will help you to determine the best way to get out of the home and where additional ramps may be needed. They will also look around your house and let you know which room would be best to barricade yourself into. Some rooms will be easier and therefore faster to get you out depending on windows and the construction materials of your home.
While you are thinking about fire prevention and safety, now is a good time to get carbon monoxide detectors for your home. Note that this is not something that your smoke detector looks for. If you have a fire somewhere, the carbon dioxide will set off the alarm before your smoke alarm, goes off. Don’t forget about flashlights in case the fire happens during the night you can still find your way around. All these small things can add up to a home that is safer. It also makes you better able to survive a fire instead of trying to create a plan out of your head. That is a way to get yourself in trouble with no way out. This, like many things is made more difficult because of your injury or disability. But planning could easily save your life.
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This is good practical information for handicap individuals, and as the baby boomer generation gets older it is more important than ever to think about what can happen as they get older and not wait until after something happens when they are older. One of our largest client base is small jobs for the boomer generation such as widening the hall ways to make them more accessible for walkers & wheel chairs, redesign the master bath with ramps that enable them the ability to get into the showers easier, small redesign to kitchens lowering a counter top in a small area to work while others are working at the other counters in the kitchen and review other areas of the house that allow individuals the ablility to maintain their independence. There are so many medical conditions that we cannot foresee until after it happens, and the more proactive we are up front, the less stress it will be on the patient after the diagnosis is made.