Summer houses and cottages are part of Nordic culture, but the fire safety guidelines for holiday homes apply to all situations where you have a property that you only use part of the year. Read on to find out how to effectively take care of the fire safety of your holiday home.
Smoke detectors and other equipment
You should install and maintain the smoke detectors at your holiday home the same way you’d do at home. That means making sure you have enough smoke detectors for the size of your house, and they’re placed correctly. You should have at least one smoke alarm each floor, and each alarm covers at maximum 60m2 on a single floor. Smoke alarms should be placed on the ceiling, somewhere where the alarm is able to reach you as early as possible. For more information, read our blog post on the subject.
You might also want to look into smart smoke alarms. They’re able to send notifications to your phone when smoke or carbon monoxide is detected. This would be extra useful when your house is remote or not actively used.
As for other equipment, it would always be good to have a fire blanket and a fire extinguisher on hand, especially in the kitchen or near other cooking areas.
Make sure you know where you are
In case of an emergency, make sure everyone present knows the address of your location. This sounds simple enough, but we often have visitors or children with us on a holiday, who might need to be briefed on this.
Fireplaces and chimneys
Fireplaces in holiday homes are often left unused for long periods of time. When using your fireplace for the first time in a while, make sure to start the heating carefully. If the fireplace gets too hot too fast, it might cause cracks in the hearth and the chimney, which is a fire hazard.
Also remember to ask a chimney sweep to check your holiday home’s chimney and fireplace regularly!
Electric and gas equipment
Check your electric and gas appliances for damage before using them. Cold weather, dampness and mice can cause damage to equipment stored in the house.
Remember to always turn off your electric equipment when you know you’re gonna be gone for a longer time period.
Safe BBQing
Always check and clean your barbecue grill before use. Pay attention to the location of your barbecue: it should be on a non-combustible surface, sheltered from the wind and far away from combustible materials.
Never use water to put out burning fat. Use the barbecue’s lid or a fire blanket to suppress the flames if needed.
Clean the barbecue after use, as food and fat residues can cause flames to ignite. If you’re using charcoal barbecue, make sure the ashes have cooled down properly before putting them in a lidded, metal bin. If your barbecue uses gas, make sure it’s turned off.
Always store lighter fluids and gas cylinders in a cool place, away from sunlight and children!
Have a safe holiday!