Kitchen safety advice from FirstEye electricians in Leeds

Several thousand people are injured in kitchen fires every year – a staggering figure especially when you consider that this amount doesn’t include those killed by kitchen fires. Fire safety is incredibly important so make sure you and your family know what to do to ensure that you stay safe.

Is your kitchen safe?

To minimise the risk of a kitchen fire, it’s important that your kitchen is a safe place to be. By taking the following steps, you’ll be helping to minimise the chances of a fire:

• Never keep electrical leads near a source of water: if your kettle is located next to the sink, for example, find another, safer place to keep it.
• Make sure your oven, hob and toaster are kept clean and free from grease as a build-up of fat and bits of food are a fire risk.
• Tea towels, towels, curtains and blinds should be well away from the cooker.
• Large appliances such as washing machines, fridges and dishwasher should be regularly checked to ensure they are safe. If you see scorch marks around the socket or a damaged electrical cable, stop using the appliance and seek professional advice.
• Never try and repair an appliance yourself – seek professional advice or if a small appliance such as a toaster breaks down, replacing it with a new one is usually the cheapest, safest option.
• Don’t be tempted to run an extension cable across the floor or to overload plug sockets: if you don’t have enough sockets in the kitchen the safest thing to do is to ask a reputable electrician to install new ones.
• A working smoke alarm is vital but if yours is near the kitchen and keeps going off frequently, consider moving it to avoid false alarms. It’s also worth considering installing a heat alarm in the kitchen – as the name says, these are triggered by sharp rises in heat, rather than smoke – making them ideal for use in kitchens.

Contact FirstEye for advice or information

If you would like advice on electrical or fire safety, please don’t hesitate to contact the team here at FirstEye for further advice. Our quotes are always free and can be arranged at a time to suit you.

 

 

The top ten things burglars look out for – security advice from FirstEye

Burglars generally like to make things as easy for themselves as possible and are always on the lookout for easy targets. By understanding the mistakes other homeowners make, you’ll help to protect your home from the risk of being burgled.

Keys

Unfortunately thousands of burglaries are carried out each year by thieves who haven’t even had to physically break in to gain entry. Many homeowners readily admit to leaving a spare key hidden around their property in all sorts of places including under the doormat, in the bin or under a plant pot. Burglars are all too aware of this so rather than leaving a spare key lying around; it’s much safer to leave one with a neighbour. However, if this isn’t possible, you could consider investing in one of latest keyless smart locks which would allow you and other members of your household to gain entry using a PIN code, key tag or smartphone.

Ground floor windows and patio doors

Ground floor windows or patio doors tend to be fitted with less security hardware, making them a relatively easy target for thieves. If you have patio doors, make sure that they have been glazed with security glass and a robust locking system, whilst ground floor windows should be fitted with appropriate locks.

Vulnerable people

Some groups of people are more susceptible to burglary than others and it’s often students, the elderly and people moving house who are often the target of theft. Student properties, for example, don’t often have burglar alarms and because residents come and go frequently, keys can fall into the wrong hands. Security can be vastly improved in many situations with the installation of a basic intruder alarm and robust locks on ground floor windows.

Expensive, small items

Thieves entering a property do so with the aim of getting in and out as quickly as possible. This is why small, easy to pick up items are often the target. Jewellery, electrical items and cash should always be kept locked away and out of sight of windows – a home safe which has been securely bolted to a wall or the floor is the ideal solution.

Electrical items

Tablets, computers and smartphones are often sought out by thieves as they can be easily sold on for a relatively high value. With this in mind, make sure you regularly ensure any data is backed up and choose products which have in-built security devices.

Tools

Tools are often stolen as they can be easily sold on and/or used in other break-ins. Always make sure that any outside storage areas such as your garage or shed have been adequately secured – intruder alarms and robust locks are available to protect outbuildings

Places to hide

Don’t give thieves a place to hide – make sure hiding places are limited by installing security lighting and ensuring hedges and bushes are kept well-trimmed.

Forgetful homeowners

By forgetting to keep your home secure, you’ll be helping to advertise your property to thieves. Always ensure you lock doors when you go out and never store keys (including car keys) within sight or reach of windows or doors. Also, don’t make the mistake of assuming that by being at home a burglar won’t try to break in. Unfortunately many thieves actively choose occupied homes at night as they know they’re more likely to contain mobile phones, wallets and car keys.

Going on holiday

If you’re going on holiday, it’s really important to make sure that you don’t advertise the fact that your home will be empty. There are lots of things you can do to help such as leaving a car on the drive, asking a neighbour to move post away from the front door and using timer switches to turn lights on and off.

Security advice and installations for homeowners in Leeds

Protecting your home doesn’t need to be stressful, time-consuming or expensive. Here at FirstEye we have many years of experience in providing cost-effective, reliable security solutions for homeowners throughout Leeds. If you would like advice on securing your home, or to obtain a free, no-obligation quote, please don’t hesitate to call us today.

Home security advice from alarm installation specialists in Leeds

If you have a dog or cat, you might be concerned that a security system could be triggered by your pet moving about, leading you to decide to not have a security system at all. However, having a pet in the house doesn’t mean that you have to compromise on the security of your home. With this in mind, we thought we’d give you some advice on ensuring your home is pet-friendly and secure.

Domestic alarms

Domestic alarms offer a highly effective visual deterrent but although statistics show that around 60% of burglaries attempted on homes with alarms fail, many pet owners still don’t have an alarm because they’re worried that their pet could accidentally trigger it.

However, there are steps which can be taken to stop lively pets from accidentally setting off a burglar alarm. Many security alarm packages include a pet-friendly motion sensor; designed to use a range of technologies to assess the movement pattern, speed and temperature of whatever has triggered it, therefore ruling out pets. This means that the alarm can be set and you’ll be able to relax in the knowledge that your four-legged friend can still move around freely.

Careful positioning of alarm sensors can also make a huge difference. If your dog spends the majority of the day in the living room, for example, but has a habit of jumping on the sofa, make sure that any sensors are directed away from this particular area. In addition, don’t forget to ensure that sensors are placed as high as possible on the walls – at least five foot high is ideal.

Contact FirstEye on 0113 228 8599

FirstEye are specialist in alarm and security installations for domestic and business customers in Leeds and throughout Yorkshire. If you would like advice on protecting your home or business, or to obtain a free, no-obligation quote, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Special offers on security security solutions for homeowners in Leeds

Thanks to our range of unbeatable special offers there’s never been a better time to review the security of your home and install a brand new security solution.

Protect your home and family with a CCTV system

Included in our latest range of special offers is a HD CCTV system. Featuring a 2 or 4 camera HD 1080P system using a high end DVR with the very latest in real time recording, this powerful system is capable of producing crystal clear images. Perfect for locations or situations where high definition images are required, this system offers an unbeatable way to protect your property from the risk of thefts or intrusion.

We’ll install a 2 camera system for £865 inc. VAT or a 4 camera system for £1325 inc. VAT and these prices include a 12 month parts and labour warranted and an iPhone/Android set up for remote viewing over the internet.

Wireless intruder alarm designed to protect your property against intruders

An intruder alarm is one of the very best way to safeguard your home and family against burglars and our Pyronix Enforcer Wireless Intruder Alarm System offers unbeatable protection at an affordable price. Including 3 motion detectors, 1 door contact, 1 external live bell box, 1 dummy bell box and a control panel with keypad, this system is available at a cost of £475 including VAT.

Deter intruders with LED security lighting

Security lighting is an affordable yet highly effective way to help deter intruders from attempting to enter your home. Our latest special offers also include the installation for PIR motion sensor LED floodlights, designed to be triggered when an unwanted intruder is within range. Starting at just £84 inc. VAT for a 10w LED PIR floodlight, LED security lighting installed by FirstEye is a great way to give yourself extra peace of mind without breaking the bank.

Our advice on preventing electrical fires

Unfortunately electrical fires are amongst the most common causes of fire damage, injury or even death in the home. When you consider that the majority of electrical fires could be easily avoided, it’s well worth carrying out a few straightforward checks and being aware of the warning signs. Being aware of the danger of electrical fires could not only help prevent damage to your home, it could also save your life.

How to spot the warning signs

Statistically the winter months are the most dangerous when it comes to electrical fires in the home. This is because the days are shorter so heating; lighting and appliances are likely to be switched on for longer. We tend to stay indoors more in the winter which means that more rooms in the house are used, increasing the risk of faulty or poorly connected appliances causing a fire.

It’s a common misconception that most electrical fires are spontaneous but this is not the case. In the majority of cases there are warning signs and if you spot sockets or plugs which feel hot to the touch, stop using them immediately. Some plugs do get hot and if this is the case, then the manufacturer should indicate this, however as a general rule of thumb, a hot plug or socket should not be used until it has been checked by a qualified electrician.

Poor wiring is another cause of electrical fires and any plugs which have frayed or exposed wires is potentially very dangerous. Frayed or exposed wires can mean that the plug is ‘live’ when touched and this could cause a very serious or even fatal electric shock.

Plugging more than one appliance into the same socket can be a recipe for disaster, especially when an appliance is plugged into a socket that is already being used by an appliance which is used regularly or for long periods such as a television or kettle. If your home doesn’t have sufficient plug sockets, the safest option is have additional sockets installed by a qualified electrician.

It’s also important to make sure that you always use the correct wattage of bulb in lamp or light fittings. Using a bulb of a higher wattage than the lamp or fitting is designed for can prove to be very dangerous and because the internal wiring will degrade, you won’t be able to spot the danger signs. Again a qualified electrician will be able to provide you with advice on the correct bulbs to use in the light fittings in your home.

Contact Firsteye for qualified, professional advice on preventing electrical fires

Electrical safety in the home is something which should be taken very seriously and if you would like advice on any aspect of electrical safety, we’d be happy to help. Are quotes are free and without obligation so why not get in touch to find out more?