Should I not try to prevent a fire?

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I have always been scared of dying in a fire. It's my main fear and to mitigate this fear and help me feel safe (also because its something I was told to do by the fireman who visited our school) I keep a towel and bottles of water in the bedrooms so if a fire does break out, I can soak the towel and put it against the door to stop the smoke coming in.

fire extinguishers wouldn't be able to stop smoke coming into the bedrooms so that's not an option.

DH has said he's sick of seeing bottles of water everywhere, it's 2 under our bed hardly loads. I haven't got any in the children's room for obvious reasons but I feel bad and might stick some on top of the wardrobe just incase. They mostly sleep in my room anyway though so it's not a big deal.

I have said I'm not getting rid of them because it's hardly an invasion of space sat under the bed, and it could save our lives if a fire broke out.

Aibu to keep water under the bed?

Yabu - you don't need water and towels
yanbu - better safe than sorry

Hi OP, did you know you can buy fire safety ladders which you can clip on the window and roll out, you can buy them on Amazon!

I'm very aware of the risk of fire, I have interlinked mains wired fire alarms that use sirens and voice. Plus a fire extinguisher and fire blanket in the kitchen.

I've never heard of putting wet towels under the door, I would rather get out of my house if it were on fire.

It does sound like you're very preoccupied with fire risk but your plan isn't the most advisable for your current circumstances. Make a new plan for your current home it might relieve your anxiety a bit.

What's your plan for when the children no longer want to sleep in the same room as you? Presumably if there's a fire you're not going to just douse your towels in water and block yourself in your bedroom, you might want to check the children are OK first. Going out of your room to collect them might mean going through the fire.

I think you should get a fire extinguisher or two in your bedroom in case you need to get out. CO2 extinguishers are my personal preference but powder is an acceptable choice too.

And as PP said, get one of those roll-out ladders. It's more important to plan your escape than to expect to be rescued. In normal circumstances the fire brigade will probably get to you in time, but what if there are unusual circumstances - a riot or bomb attack for instance - which means dozens or hundreds of properties are on fire at the same time. Most people who haven't escaped themselves will not be rescued in time because the fire service will not be able to cope.

PS. Good idea about keeping the "weapons" in the bedroom. It's important to do it like you have, having things like a paperweight that have an innocent explanation for being there. When you disable your attacker with a baseball bat you'll probably end up in a lot of trouble yourself unless you can convince the court there was a good reason for it being under your bed - much easier to explain a paperweight being on your bedside table.

I think your bottles of water are harmless, and good if they give you some peace of mind.
Please fit some more smoke detectors though. We have them in most rooms of the house. I think these days with things like phones being on charge overnight etc, they're essential in bedrooms.

But your not taking the sensible measures. You have become obsessed with one tiny measure which realistically won’t be a massive help.

It’s fire alarms and properly planned escape routes which saves lives not a bottle of water and a towel

My family had a serious house fire when I was a child so I am very fire safety conscious - we have smoke alarms and fire safety ladders tucked under beds in the upstairs rooms that can be used as an escape route from upstairs windows.

I had a fireman friend come round to advise and he said by far the biggest issue they see is no smoke alarms or smoke alarms where the batteries have run out. I test ours on the first day of every month.

If it’s something you are worried about, having an escape route planned and making sure your children know it when they’re old enough is your best bet (the fact my parents had a plan to get us out of the upstairs in the even of a fire saved my life as a child).

This sounds irrational to me.

You don't seem to have answered questions on if you have anything else arranged 'just in case' whether that is for a fire or other things you worry about.