Author
Reference
Benard.,
L., (2015): Home safety basics for the average Kenyan. Intel Fire Group of
Companies Blog. Nairobi, Kenya.
Home safety basics for the average Kenyan
In the
context of this article an average Kenyan is defined as one earning a decent
living and able to pay for their expenses either in a rented or owner occupied
residence. The average home therefore would be one where the owners can afford
all the three meals a day and slightly use modern equipment in its preparation.
These homes can range from a three bedroom to a one room house and the owners,
especially for the one room, only see their living room once in the morning and
once in the evening. The safety of these homes largely depend on their owners
following some basic safety practices to ensure they return back to a safe home
at the end of the day. These safety basics will include a variety of practices
that comprises of but not limited to the following:
A. Closing doors and windows
A part
from closing your doors and windows of your home for security purposes, it is
particularly important that they stay closed during the period there is no one
at home. In the analysis of the components of combustion there are three
elements that must exist and this includes: oxygen; fuel; and heat. The
furniture and all other materials will form the fuel element while on reaching
ignition (heat) and with the presence of oxygen a fire occurrence will be
sustained to the highest levels. It is for this reason therefore that it is
recommended that when leaving your house whatever the time close all the
windows and this will minimize the presence of oxygen within the house and eventually
the fire will not be sustained.
B. Switch off your lights
This is
particularly familiar with the single people who are living again singly and
for no apparent reasons believe that by leaving their lights on is a form of
security especially if they will be coming late in the night. A part from the
threats that are related to bulbs being associated to radiation, it is
particularly important to note that this article is only geared towards
ensuring the safety of the home towards the occupant in terms of fire safety. A
power surge may results in explosion especially from the bulbs and other home
appliances left on during the period. In cases where appliances like fridges
needs to be left on then ensure that a power surge protector is in place.
C. Engage the area watchmen and neighbors
It is
usually common, especially in Nairobi residential estates where the neighbors
do not know each other and the area watchmen only see them early in the morning
and late in the evening without a word. In essence of ensuring your home is
safe and in case of any incidences information reaches you as quick as
possible, it is particularly important to gain knowledge of a few of your neighbors who have someone present within their houses all day. The importance
of all these is to ensure that you have information on all undertaking about
your residence even when you are not around. Privacy is important but this go
hand in hand with being safe. There are many models to this which includes the
Kenyan government initiative dubbed “Nyumba Kumi”, the local residents’ security
initiative with different names and the controlled development security
initiatives having a contracted security personnel. Whichever the case, the
choice is yours whether to maintain privacy of secrecy or maintaining the
security and safety of your home.
D. Emergency Contact Numbers
Despite
the fact that security agencies have been popularizing the use of emergency
numbers among the Kenyan population, there is a general consensus that these
numbers in most instances do not work and when they do the response to the
scene is usually slow. This in security is one of the fallacies that needs to
be discussed and measures put in place to ensure that these numbers actually
work. For your home safety it is particularly important to take note of the
emergencies numbers that are of importance to you and more so relevant to the
area you are staying.
The
numbers you should strive to know should include the area police station, a
close relative or friend that can respond to your emergencies and not somebody
back in the village or the opposite. You also need to know the fire brigade and ambulance
response lines. In Kenya the following numbers are generally used:
Station Service Number
Kenya
Police General Emergency 999
Kenya
Police Ambulance
Service 112
Fire
Stations in Kenya General
Emergency 112/999
Nairobi
Fire Brigade Fire Emergency 2222181
To be
safe at home whether you are in a single room or a bungalow, the choice of
safety is majorly in your hands as the home occupant or owner. STAY SAFE AS THERE IS HOPE FOR A BETTER TOMORROW.
The Author is a Research Generalist in Projects Management Specializing
in Safety Service Delivery
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