Fires

Are you interested in fire-fighting? Check out the ’Volunteer with the fire brigade’ section!

What to take as a housewarming gift for a friend? A fire blanket, of course!

Home fires

• One common cause of home fires is unattended cooking.
• A fire can also be caused by careless smoking, burning candles, mishandling matches and electrical appliances.
• In addition, a fire can start from a fireplace or a smoke flue, for example, due to carelessness or because the flues have not been swept.
• Home textiles can easily catch fire.

The most common causes of stove fires:

extra stuff on the stove
grease fires
unattended cooking

Don’t mess around with other things while cooking!

Some people lack fire safety skills

– There is a future threat that people become unfamiliar with the use of fire. For example, people won’t understand where candles can be placed safely, says Ilpo Leino, Senior Specialist of Built Environment at The Finnish National Rescue Association (SPEK).

– A book shelf or a plastic balcony table might not necessarily be very good places after all. A candle is also a naked flame, and it cannot be placed just anywhere.

The environmental damages caused by fires can be extremely severe.

Successful first-aid fire extinguishing combats and prevents environmental damages

– For example, according to the Emergency Services Academy Finland, structural fires would have released 60 tonnes more particles into the atmosphere in 2022 without first-aid fire extinguishing, says Heli Salovaara, Development Manager at The Finnish National Rescue Association (SPEK).

– 60 tonnes of particles equates to the daily emissions of thousands of chimneys. When this number of particles spreads out to residential areas, it can significantly reduce air quality and cause notable health hazards to a large part of the population. These hazards include breathing difficulties and cardiovascular diseases.

There are only a few minutes for first-aid fire extinguishing measures after the fire has started.

First-aid fire extinguishing refers to extinguishing a fire using the tools at hand, for example a fire blanket, a portable extinguisher, a pot lid or even a filled water container.

Get your fire safety in order at home!

• Get a sufficient amount of smoke alarms for your home and keep them in good working order.
• Know your way to safety – keep your exits free of clutter and practise using them.
• Keep first-aid fire extinguishing equipment handy and learn how to use them.

Avoid battery fires! They are really dangerous.

Battery fires

Extinguishing a lithium-ion battery fire with a fire blanket and a saucepan

The video is produced by the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes).

Extinguishing an electrical fire

• If there is an electrical fire, try to unplug the device first. You can also remove the fuse, if you cannot turn the power off in any other way.
• Extinguish the fire either using a portable fire extinguisher, a fire blanket or a thick rug. Do not use a rug made out of plastic or synthetic fibres.

A fire-safe flat keeps things cool

Use the checklist to identify potential hazards in your own home.

Checklist for a Fire Safe Home

The correct placement of a smoke alarm

• SPEK recommends that smoke alarms are fitted into all bedrooms and the hallway. The living room should also have a smoke alarm because there’s often electrical appliances there. On upper floors, smoke alarms should be fitted above staircases as well as the bedrooms.
• Make sure that the smoke alarms have batteries that work. Test the smoke alarms regularly, for example every one or two months, by pressing the test button.

Test regularly that your smoke alarms work by pressing the test button.

What to do in case of a fire?

1. Take care of first-aid fire extinguishing.

   Extinguish the start of the fire if you can. Don’t put yourself in danger.

2. Rescue others.

   Rescue anyone who is in the flat if you can.

3. Limit the spread of the fire.

   Close the doors and windows as you leave. Be sure to close the door leading to the stairwell. This way you will limit the spread of the fire. Go down the stairs.

4. Warn others.

   Warn your neighbours who are in immediate danger.

5. Report the emergency.

   Call the emergency number 112. Report the emergency only once you are in a safe place.

6. Give guidance.

   Guide the fire brigade to the scene.

7. Move to the evacuation assembly area.

   Go to a predetermined evacuation assembly area.

Make a plan for what to do in the event of a fire – think about how to exit.

Be prepared to rescue your pet as well.

Rescue operation for a pet

What to do when there’s smoke in the stairwell?

• Don’t go into the smoke! Stay in your flat. Blocks of flats are built in such a way that a fire cannot easily spread from one flat to another.
• Close all doors from which smoke is coming.
• If there’s still smoke entering your flat, open a window or a balcony door to ventilate the area.
• Wet some towels and block the letterbox, door gaps and other openings from which smoke is coming. Block the air vents as well to stop suction.
• If the door of the flat becomes hot, you can pour some water on it.
• Call the emergency number 112 and make sure that the emergency has been reported. Tell the emergency services which flat you are in.
• If there is a lot of smoke entering the room, try not to breathe it in.
• There is less smoke close to the floor, so crawl or creep to the balcony or to an open window to get some fresh air.
• Call for help, wave a piece of clothing or flash some lights, so that the fire brigade will notice you. Do not jump out of the window or off of the balcony but wait for help.

The website of the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) has a list of consumer products that constitute a fire hazard.

Buying and using products that constitute a fire hazard

Carbon monoxide – a colourless, odourless and flavourless gas

• Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced by incomplete combustion.
• Carbon monoxide cannot be detected in the air because it is a colourless, odourless and flavourless gas.
• Carbon monoxide passes easily from the air into the bloodstream via the lungs. In the bloodstream, carbon monoxide binds more readily to haemoglobin in red blood cells than it does to oxygen, forming carboxyhaemoglobin. Because it cannot bind oxygen, the body can easily develop severe oxygen deficiency.
• The most common causes of fatal carbon monoxide poisoning are apartment fires and suicide.

You can find more information about carbon monoxide poisoning, its symptoms and first aid in the ’Poisoning’ section.

A fire base left unattended, burning brushwood, grilling, cigarette butts, a bin set on fire maliciously...

One spark is enough to start a wide-spread fire!

Wildfires

As droughts are becoming more frequent due to climate change, the risk for wildfires is also increasing. To prevent fires, it is essential to follow wildfire warnings.

• In the past few years, there has been over 2,500 wildfires per summer season.
• Majority of wildfires in Finland are caused by human activity.
• Natural causes of wildfires include lightning, drought, strong wind and hot air.

Human carelessness is often the cause of wildfires.

No open fires are permitted while a wildfire warning has been issued – not even on Midsummer!

• When the Finnish Meteorological Institute issues a wildfire warning, all open fires are prohibited, even if it is Midsummer!
• An open fire refers to a campfire or a similar type of fire where it’s possible for the fire to get out of control, either by spreading along the ground or by sparks flying from it.
• This means that Midsummer bonfires and disposable grills are open fires too.

It is not allowed to light an open fire on another person’s land without the landowner’s permission.

Some strong words about grilling

Why and how often should a grill be cleaned?

A dirty grill can start a grease fire. Gas grills are particularly prone to grease fires, as grease and food scraps accumulate at the bottom of the grill. However, grease fires can also occur in charcoal grills due to grease accumulating on the grill grate.

You can avoid grease fires by keeping the grill clean of grease and food scraps. It might be necessary to clean the grill after every use if the food prepared contains sauces or there is a lot of food.

How to extinguish a grease fire that starts when grilling?

You must never extinguish a grease fire with water! If you throw water onto burning grease, the fire will spread explosively when the water mixed with grease vaporises and carries the burning fat with it.

A grease fire is extinguished by smothering it. If you have a gas grill, close the gas cylinder and move it further away, if it is possible to do so safely.

What should you use to clean your grill, and how should you do it?

When you clean a grill, choose a cleaning product suitable for this purpose so that you don’t damage the grill. Make sure that there is no grease or food scraps left on the grill surface or in the combustion chamber.

Often, you can find more information on how to clean a grill in the instructions manual. When you remove used charcoal and ashes from a charcoal grill, make sure that the charcoal has cooled down completely first.

Where in your garden, on your terrace or balcony can you place a grill?

Place the grill on a non-flammable surface within a safe distance from combustible materials. Also take note of what is above the grill, such as eaves or roofs.

Charcoal grills always produce large amounts of carbon monoxide. If you use a charcoal grill on a glazed terrace or a balcony, make sure that there is enough ventilation.

Before you purchase a grill, familiarise yourself with the rules of your housing company and the regulations of your local fire brigade, as they may restrict the use of grills on balconies, for example.

Can a gas grill be used inside?

Using an outdoor grill indoors is life-threatening

The characteristics, placement, ventilation and other conditions for the use of gas appliances intended for indoor use are strictly regulated. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully when you use the appliances.

Source: Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes)

The Rescue Act stipulates that anyone who observes or receives information about a fire or other accident that is either occurring or about to occur and cannot immediately extinguish the fire or combat the danger is obliged to notify those endangered, make an emergency call and take rescue action without delay to the best of their abilities.

Instructions on how to report an emergency

1. Call the emergency number 112.

   Only call in urgent, genuine emergencies when someone’s life, health or property or the environment is under threat or in danger. If you use the 112 mobile app, remember to make the call through the app. This way, your location information will be forwarded to the emergency response centre automatically.

    

   You can also call the emergency number 112 using a foreign mobile phone subscription. Even then there’s no need to use a country or area code: just dial 112.

2. You can also send a text message.

   If necessary, you can also report an emergency by sending an SMS to the number +358 112.

    

   The use of emergency SMS messages is primarily reserved for individuals who cannot hear or produce speech. An emergency text message can only be sent from a pre-registered phone number. A number can be pre-registered on the Suomi.fi website.

3. Do not call or text the emergency number in the following cases:

   if the situation is not urgent, if you have general enquiries or want to ask a question or if you are reporting a disturbance where no one is in danger.

    

   Source: Suomi.fi

Take action for safety – download the 112 Suomi mobile app!

Through the app, you will receive public safety alerts and notices directly to your phone. The app also provides instructions on how to prepare for various disruptions. The instructions can also be read in the app when the network connection is down, that is, in offline mode.

Download the free 112 Suomi mobile app