Minimax - Fire protection tips

Extinguishing technics

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Focal points in the house

These focal points can be controlled by preventive measures.

In the kitchen

Never leave switched on gas burners, hot plates or fondues unattended. Overheated fat or cooking oil may already catch fire at 200 °C.
Coffee machines, toasters or egg cookers are often forgotten after a substantial breakfast. Put the devices on a non-inflammable base to be on the safe side.
After some time extractor hood filters are saturated with fat and kitchen vapours. Replace the filters after three months at the latest. Never clean reusable filters with inflammable liquids. And: never flambé under the extractor hood!

In the attic

Always lock attic doors in multiple dwellings and check them on "places for the night" or "children's playgrounds" in regular intervals. If they are easily accessible, fires often occur due to negligent activities or intentional fire-raising.
Keep the attic free of bulky refuse and junk. Of course this also applies to entrances!
Do not smoke and do not use open fire.

In the cellar

Keep the cellar tidy. Sort out bulky refuse and junk in regular intervals.
Where are your bicycles? They often block escape routes.
Only store small quantities of fire-hazardous goods like fuels, paints and lakes, thinners, sprayers, car tyres, newspapers or wood in the cellar.
Never use solvent-containing substances or open flames in closed cellar rooms!
It is absolutely prohibited to store pressure vessels and liquefied gas tanks in the cellar area. And rightly so: escaping gas is heavier than air, collects on the ground and may constitute explosive mixtures.
Keep the cellar windows free. They are used as smoke outlets in case of fire.
Dust the heating system? This is a necessary protection, which has nothing to do with being excessively house-proud. Keep paint, lighting, pipe couplings and limit monitoring indicator of an oil heating clean.
Rooms, where more than 5,000 liters heating oil are stored, are rooms for heating oil storage only. Never store any other material in these rooms.

In the workroom

Keep your workshop clean. Never leave easily inflammable material like cloths soaked with petrol or spirit lying about.
Remove sawdust or sanding dust immediately. If they are swirled up, they may cause a dust explosion and the fire will spread suddenly.
Always close containers with inflammable liquids with special care. Ventilate the room after usage. A small concentration of vapours and a low-energy ignition spark may already cause a deflagration. Also ventilate rooms located below - vapours are often heavier than air.
Solvent-containing adhesives or sealing agents are inflammable or explosive substances. Never use an open light or fire and also take the ignition flame of your flow heater or gas furnace into consideration.

In the garage

In most cases the garage is not only used for the car but also as a storeroom. Keep it in order! Paint cans, wood stocks, tyres or lawn movers increase the fire risk.
Never leave open fuels and solvents lying around.
Never use open fire.
If you also use the garage as a workroom and conduct work with inflammable substances: keep your working area free and keep a fire extinguisher ready to hand.
Always carefully close your garage to prevent access of unauthorized people.

Building installation practice

Safeguard sockets with child-proof covers.
Only purchase electrical devices with the GS (verified safety) and VDE (Association of German Electrotechnical Engineers) sign.
Never leave switched on electrical devices unattended - even if they are equipped with an automatic shutdown.
Never operate several devices via one socket or distributor at the same time! The electric lines may heat up and melt the insulation - especially in case of old electric cables.
If you pull out the plug after using the device, don't be impatient: do not remove the plug from the socket by pulling at the cable!
Never place heat generating devices like irons or immersion coils on inflammable bases.
Never operate electric heaters and fan heaters in the vicinity of inflammable objects! This also applies to lamps: they produce enough heat to cause a fire.
Televisions operated in cupboards must have at least ten centimeters space between TV and cupboard. After switching off the television wait until the device has cooled down before closing the cupboard doors.
If you do not need the television or video recorder for a longer period of time, do not use the stand-by switch but the main switch for switching off. Pull out antenna and mains plugs in case of a thunderstorm. This is the only way to protect your devices from lightning.
Electrical devices must only be connected and repaired by experts. This also applies to damaged cables or electric lines.
Never repair or by-pass household fuses. Replace them by new ones. And keep away from the central house fuse. It is leaded and must only be accessed by the public utilities.

Stoves and fireplaces

Coal-burning stoves must always be connected to a chimney. Do not lead the waste gases outside directly.
There must be sufficient distance between waste gas and stove pipes and inflammable objects like wallpapers, door frames and wood lagging.
Leaky waste gas pipes must be replaced by an expert immediately.
Never place stoves directly on a wooden floor but on a non-inflammable base.
Never hang up your clothes beside or above the stove for drying. Never store inflammable objects directly beside the stove or fireplace.
Never put hot ash into the rubbish bin but in a closeable non-inflammable container.
You dream of a fireplace? Consult your chimney-sweep before installation. He is also responsible for official acceptance of the fireplace.
Never leave your open fireplace unattended. Use a standing grate to prevent red hot coal from falling out of the fireplace.
The cleaning openings of the fireplace must always be accessible.
Gas therms in bathrooms or kitchens take their combustion air from the room. Never make ventilating ducts in doors airtight to prevent an oxygen lack in the combustion chamber.
If your oil stove is not connected to a cellar tank, you are only allowed to store a can with max. 40 liters heating oil in your apartment.

With children

Children cause nearly one third of all fires that occur due to negligent handling. Therefore fire protection education at home should start very early.
Be a good example and never forget that children are curious and imitate adults.
Practice correct dealing with fire with the children, e.g. safe lighting of candles with a match or lighter.
Explain your children the dangers of fire and that it must only "play about with fire" if adults are nearby.
Keep matches and lighters in a safe place that cannot be reached by children. Never leave your purchase to the children!
Never let children cook for the first time without supervision.
If you have small children, safeguard the sockets of your apartment with child-proof covers.
Practice calling an emergency number with your children.
All children's rooms must be equipped with a smoke detector
By the way: many fire brigades developed programs for fire protection education and provide trained people looking after school classes. Take advantage of these offers!

As a smoker

Use the ashtray and carefully stub out the cigarette.
Never put ash and cigarette stubs into the rubbish bin. Glowing rests may still cause a smouldering fire after several hours.
Never smoke your last cigarette at night in the armchair or bed - especially after drinking alcohol. This is always worthwhile because even if you remain uninjured, the insurer must not compensate for such cases of gross negligence.
It is dangerous to smoke in the cellar or attic. Fires are often caused by burning ash, which falls off the cigarette without being noticed.
Never smoke when handling easily inflammable substances.
Observe smoking bans at filling stations, warehouses, laboratories, places of work, theatres and when going for a walk in the forest.
Never smoke and drive. Dropped cigarettes often cause road accidents.

Before travelling

Disconnect all possible electric circuits and switch off the fuses. But do not forget that e.g. the freezer needs electricity!
Disconnect water supply - especially at washing machines and dishwashers - and gas supply. Attention: of course the heating must remain ready for operation in winter!
Pull out antenna and mains plugs.
Close all doors of the house - but do not lock them. In case of emergency this helps to prevent fire spreading.
Do not help possible fire-raisers: remove all inflammable objects located at the outside.

On tour

Already ask for stationary automatic extinguishing systems when making a reservation at your hotel - especially if it is a larger hotel.
Do not forget: even under most favourable conditions turntable ladders can only reach the 10th floor.
Immediately after arrival, clarify the kind of information in case of fire (alarm gong, home emergency call system...) and who must be informed in case of emergency.
Familiarize yourself with escape routes. Where is the next fire extinguisher? How can you call for help in case of emergency?
Check if emergency exits are freely accessible and not locked.
Never smoke in bed or empty the ashtray into the paper basket!

During a barbecue

Who does not like having a barbecue in summer? But if you take into consideration that flames have approx. 800 °C, red hot coal has approx. 500 °C, a grill housing approx. 400 °C and the grill approx. 500 °C, the dangers become clear.
The grill must be in a secure upright position! Keep your distance to inflammable materials and consuming places - and keep children away from the grill.
Make sure that the red hot coal is not blown away. This means a very high fire hazard in summer.
Never have a barbecue in a room without ventilation and exhaust possibilities. Deoxydation and carbon monoxide formation means danger of suffocation and poisoning.
Lighting charcoal requires patience. Use only customary grill lighters - never use petrol or spirit as "fire accelerators"! They both already start evaporating at 20 °C. During lighting this evaporation cloud may catch fire like an explosion and cause serious burns.
Never use a bottle to spray inflammable liquids onto the grill - this applies also to "high-proof drinks"! The content may catch fire due to a reinflammation and you will carry a "Molotov cocktail" in your hand.
Fat dripping into the charcoal may catch fire and ignite the food. Always have water at your disposal for extinguishing.
When using a gas grill, check the connections on tightness. The connection hose must not be exposed to heat. Escaping gas catches fire easily.
Only dispose of the charcoal after it has cooled down completely. In the interests of safety never fill coal in cardboard boxes or plastic containers.

During renovation

If you take a few important things into consideration, you can conduct a "fire-safe" modernisation and renovation - and also provide additional fire protection!
Inflammable building materials must always be stored at a safe place: Most of the varnish paints and liquid adhesives contain easily inflammable solvents.
Make sure that electric lines and extension cords are not overloaded during the building period - especially when they are old.
Take covered electric lines and gas lines into consideration when drilling into walls. Electronic metal locators help avoiding risks.
Welding and soldering work causes temperatures of up to approx. 300 °C. Keep a distance to all inflammable objects - or use a non-inflammable plate or tarpaulin to cover these objects. Most suitable are mineral fiber plates. Do not use metal plates! Check your place of operation after finishing your work - e.g. on glowing embers. This also applies to work with right angle grinders!
Do not place heat-sealing pistols and hot-air dryers on inflammable bases after use!
Do not seal ceiling openings from the cellar with building foam but with special fire protection sealing material.
Only use non-inflammable materials according to DIN 4102 when carrying out insulating work (e.g. heat protection).
Install reserve conduits in the brickwork for cable installations. Thus, you protect cables from damages - and possible subsequent electric installations can be carried out easily.

When having a party

Paper streamers and garlands should consist of hardly inflammable materials. In specialist shops these articles are called >B1<.
Never use an open flame in decorated rooms.
Also use as little easily inflammable materials, like paper or plastic, as possible for fancy dresses or masks!
Never use Chinese lanterns with wax candles in closed rooms.
Never leave burning candles unattended! The safest place for a candle is a non-inflammable base.
Never empty the ashtray into the rubbish bin or paper basket. It must only be emptied into fire-proof containers.

During Christmas season

If an Advent wreath and a Christmas tree with real candles are an important part of a red-letter day for you, you should consider the following:
Never place candles on an inflammable base or in the vicinity of inflammable objects! Also the candle holder must consist of a non-inflammable material!
Put up your Christmas tree or Advent wreath at a safe place with sufficient distance to inflammable objects. Avoid the vicinity of radiators: the heat dries the needles very quickly and thus, they become even easier to inflame.
Fix the Christmas tree candles with sufficient distance to the branches above. Light the candles from back to front and top to bottom and extinguish them in reverse order.
Never leave burning candles unattended and don't let the candles burn down completely! The burning wick may fall down or out off the holder.
Never put Christmas presents under the tree - however good it looks!
Never use sparklers in the immediate vicinity of the Christmas tree.
Always keep a fire extinguisher or at least a bucket of water ready to hand.
For households with children we recommend electric candles corresponding to the VDE regulations.

For New Year's Eve

Already remove all inflammable materials from your balcony and terrace before New Year's Eve, so that strayed rockets may not cause a fire.
Make sure that all windows are closed on New Year's Eve - especially when you are leaving the house. Do not forget attic, cellar and hall windows!
Only use fireworks in closed rooms if the suitability for closed rooms is expressly stated on the fireworks!
Keep your fireworks at a safe place where they may not be let off by mistake. Do not place cardboard boxes with an entire range of fireworks on the street at midnight!
Never pick up "duds" and never try to let them off a second time!

In the garden

The incineration of garden rubbish or wood on your premises must be approved by the town clerk's office. It is generally forbidden to incinerate waste oil or domestic rubbish.
Never have an open fire during dry seasons.
Keep a suitable distance to buildings, trees, bushes and streets!
Do not burn too much material at the same time and avoid flying sparks.
Choose a location, which makes an uncontrollable fire spreading impossible.
Never leave an open fire unattended!

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