Friday 25 February 2011

Fire Prevention Tips


Fire Prevention in Your Rental Unit

Fire in “residential” properties as a whole, account for close to 25,000 incidents a year, which is 41% of all the fires across Canada. Unsafe cooking is the leading cause of these preventable fires. The area of fire prevention and education about the dangers of fire cannot be stressed enough. 

Flagship is dedicated to minimizing the potential of fire occurring across the company through internal fire prevention inspections, fire safety training, and diligence from all staff.

How can you protect yourself and the ones you love from the dangers of fire?

  Don’t leave cooking unattended for any reason. If you must leave, turn off all cooking appliances.

  Smoking materials cause fires. Be sure to dispose of these in an appropriate manner. Balcony fires are usually started by improper disposal of smoking materials.

• Never leave candles unattended, and check to see they are in a sturdy holder that will not fall over.

• Give space heaters space! Keep away from curtains or bedding which may easily ignite.

• Keep matches and lighters away from and out of reach of children

Carbon Monoxide.  Get a Monoxide alarm. Carbon Monoxide is a poisonous gas which you can’t see nor smell, yet it is deadly in enclosed spaces. Carbon Monoxide in the home is usually produced by oil furnaces or gas appliances when the fuel is not burned correctly.

Clean cooking appliances.  Clean your cooking appliances after use. If you don’t clean regularly, you may end up with a food buildup around the heating elements. Under high temperatures this buildup turns to charcoal and can catch fire

Don’t throw water on a grease fire.  If there is a grease fire in your kitchen, throwing water on the fire will only make it worse. Use baking soda if you have to. Best thing to do is to turn off the appliance and let it cool off. If it’s an oven, keep the door shut. Opening the door will let in more oxygen and intensify the fire.

Avoid clutter.  If you’re using an appliance with a heating element, make sure there is plenty of space around it. Clutter prevents heat from escaping properly. While the appliance may not light on fire, there is a possibility of wires melting which can lead to an electrical fire later on. Additionally, the clutter itself may get too close to the heat source and also cause a fire.

Light bulbs.  Make sure you get the correct wattage of light bulb. Using a 100 watt light bulb in a 40 watt socket will lead to overheating and possibly cause a fire. Consider switching to fluorescent light bulbs entirely because they emit considerably less heat than conventional ones.

Don’t overload your circuits.  Use a power bar with a ground fault interceptor (GFI).  This feature allows the bar to detect when there is a surge in the power and it automatically smooth them out or shut the power off.

• Ensure your smoke alarm is working and test on a monthly basis. If your smoke alarm does not activate during your test, notify building management immediately.

www.flagshipcorp.ca

Wednesday 23 February 2011

Getting ready for a move!

How can you possibly prepare for the move to your new apartment? A few simple tips will make your life easier and make the move as stress free as possible.

• Choose a mover if you don’t plan on doing it yourself. Consider moving at a non- peak time to reduce the ex- penses of a mover or truck rental. The first of the month is always the hardest time to find reasonably priced moving help.

• Use the proper materials. Use sturdy boxes and don’t skimp on packing materials. Bubble wrap, newspaper, styrofoam peanuts and linens that are going to move with you anyway make great protective covers for your break- able or sensitive items.

• Label your boxes. It will save you time on the other end and if you are using a professional mover, label each box with the room they should deposit it in. Also write on the box what it contains. It will help a lot when you are look- ing for that one item on moving day. Make sure to mark things that are fragile.

• Pack one room at a time. You will make quicker prog- ress and will be more organized.

• Don’t assume you should leave things in furniture with drawers. Drawers can open during a move and precious things can get broken.

• Put heavy items in small boxes. Have you ever tried lift- ing a huge box of books!!
Now that you are all packed what should you consider next:

• Pack you car or truck with the least needed items first. Most important items should go in last so that they get unpacked first.

• Plan for what you need as soon as you arrive at your apartment. A box of toiletries, kids toys to keep they busy, a basic dinner, and maybe a change of clothes.

• Make sure you have booked an elevator if necessary in your new home and that you have arranged to pick-up your keys and deliver any outstanding rent owing before you move in.

• Ensure you have completed a change of address form with the post office, arranged for any utilities or other hook-ups and disconnected services in your old home. • Ask your new landlord if they have any service provid- ers for cable and phone that will offer discounts to the residents of their building.

Overall, plan enough time to pack and move and try to think ahead regarding things you might need. Chaos might prevail initially, but it will not last as you happily settle into your new home.