To ask what you have at home

[tootoasty]

Was talking with a colleagues yesterday about safety devises at home and they made out that I was kind of over the top with things I have.
They got the house alarm and ring cameras for security outside and things like first aid kits and co2 thingy but started laughing when I told them I had fire extinguishers upstairs and downstairs, with fire blankets in kitchen.
Just wondered what people have in their homes. I'd assumed everyone would have everything they could

We have smoke alarms, a peephole and chains on the doors, plasters savlon, paracetamol in the medicine drawer and a dog that barks at anything that sets foot over our boundary.

@ComeSailAway

I had a fire safety inspection and was told to get rid of my fire extinguisher, that unless you're trained in how to use it they cause more problems than they solve.

Interesting that you were told not to have fire extinguishers while I'm required to by the fire department in my country. Maybe they just assume here that people know how to use them.

I have been trained in using them though, when I did my 'hot work' license, but its not exactly rocket science.

I have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen too, if they’ve never been in a fire they really have no idea.

Does a gun & sword count? Although I can barely pick either up.

Co alarm, smoke detector, quite comprehensive first aid kit, guard chickens who squawk when anything comes in the garden and a machete

@Scarby9

None of those. I have plasters, paracetamol and cough mixture.

This

We will have fire extinguishers and fire blanket in new house as it's an insurance requirement for thatched houses - we don't have these now.

We have basic first aid kit and medicines, Ring doorbell, electric gates, hard wired smoke detectors and Co2 monitor. House has a burglar alarm but is never used.

I'm actually safer than I thought - I forgot that I have a fire blanket in the kitchen, courtesy of my paranoid H&S conscious ex. But given that I'd forgotten I had it, I may well have forgotten to use it if I'd had a fire.

And it never occurred to me to count the torch that I keep in my bag, plus another hanging from the back of a cupboard door, as a safety thing. I used to do community visits in a rural area, and most of the places I went had no street lights, so it was essential to get to my car when doing late afternoon visits in winter.

Now that they've changed our street lights for "less intrusive" ones, I need a torch to get up my front steps. The new streetlights only seem to illuminate a 6' radius, but they're approx 25 yards apart, so most of the street is in darkness.

I didn't replace the smoke alarm when I redecorated the kitchen, because it was such a pain climbing on a chair to turn the fucker off every time I cooked bacon.

Oh I also have guard chickens as per PP @teaspig

spare tyres for the car x4 which are rotated yearly to even out wear and tear

How is this going to help in an emergency? A spare car or two would make more sense.

Smoke, heat and CO2 alarms (in Scotland, so these are legally required now). Fire blanket in kitchen - just seemed like a good idea and doesn't really take up any space.

Various first aid stuff, though only the essentials - there are pharmacies/supermarkets very close, and my GP surgery is just across the road. I'd probably have a greater selection if I lived in the middle of nowhere, rather than in the middle of a city!

No escape ladders or anything as we're in a ground floor flat. Door keys live in the door at night - mainly so I don't forget where they are, but also in case we need to get out in a hurry.

My dogs are my burglar alarm. Does that count?

@LakieLady

I'm actually safer than I thought - I forgot that I have a fire blanket in the kitchen, courtesy of my paranoid H&S conscious ex. But given that I'd forgotten I had it, I may well have forgotten to use it if I'd had a fire.

And it never occurred to me to count the torch that I keep in my bag, plus another hanging from the back of a cupboard door, as a safety thing. I used to do community visits in a rural area, and most of the places I went had no street lights, so it was essential to get to my car when doing late afternoon visits in winter.

Now that they've changed our street lights for "less intrusive" ones, I need a torch to get up my front steps. The new streetlights only seem to illuminate a 6' radius, but they're approx 25 yards apart, so most of the street is in darkness.

I didn't replace the smoke alarm when I redecorated the kitchen, because it was such a pain climbing on a chair to turn the fucker off every time I cooked bacon.

Get a heat sensor instead. No burnt toast panic but will alert you to an actual fire.

Sorry yes, mistyped - definitely meant carbon monoxide and not Co 2

Smoke detectors in hall, utility room and upstairs landing
Heat detector, fire extinguisher and fire blanket in kitchen
Carbon monoxide detector outside gas-boiler cupboard
PIR-activated lights at front door, back door and garage door
Steel fire-escape ladder accessible in upstairs bedroom
LED-torch in bedroom
First aid kit in house
"Proper" spare wheel and tyre in car

@Smokeahontas I often buy a box of plasters and can never find the previous one - turns out dd1 had been using about 30 per day when breaking her new DM boots in
Was all fine and then she went and bought the same boots in a different colour!!

We solved the 'no turn knob on the door' issue by..... having a turn knob installed. No need to squirrel keys in unlikely places

We had a couple of incidents when DC were younger where one let themselves out (right onto a busy, tractor/truck/tanker) main road from a side door we barely use. jumped at the chance to replace it with proper keys. wouldn't ever go back now just in case visiting children get the same idea - our house is in a very dangerous location for some doors to be opened via turnkey only.

and to those querying why the spare tyres, they're summer/winter tyres but we've always had spares since one winter where we had damaged tyres within a couple of weeks of each other but couldn't get to a proper place to get them replaced/repaired due to snow. beast from the east? our area was fine to drive slowly around but we were cut off for some time (nowhere near a motor garage, you'd need to drive a few towns over). lesson learned!

smoke dectectors aren't suitable in kitchens for the toast reason mentioned above; much better to use a heat detector linked up to the smoke detectors, so you don't have it going off all the time BUT it's useful in case of an actual fire.

i didn't know they were a thing until moving house

and to those querying why the spare tyres, they're summer/winter tyres but we've always had spares since one winter where we had damaged tyres within a couple of weeks of each other but couldn't get to a proper place to get them replaced/repaired due to snow. beast from the east? our area was fine to drive slowly around but we were cut off for some time (nowhere near a motor garage, you'd need to drive a few towns over). lesson learned!

We use winter tyres as well, so we always have a set in the garage, but it's ridiculous to pretend that storing 4 spare wheels and tyres is a safety essential for most people.

Damaging two tyres in quick succession during an extreme weather event is extremely rare - no-one can have spares to cover everything that could possibly go wrong in life, and nor do they need to. You could similarly make a case for having a spare car, or e.g. a spare boiler just in case your main one packs up.

"Proper" spare wheel and tyre in car

This is really bloody useful. - coupled with the knowledge of how to change the tyre. Those stupid cans of foam are pretty useless if you get a puncture somewhere miles from the nearest town.

I have a CCTV set up and an electronic ‘trip wire’ (always interesting when your phone pings with one of those notifications), hardwired Nest smoke and CO2 alarms, and a phone for calling 999 if needs be. Oh and some really big dogs.

@Scarby9

None of those. I have plasters, paracetamol and cough mixture.

This and a fire alarm is it. Oh and a baseball bat under the bed! Might get a ring doorbell or something at some stage.

We use winter tyres as well, so we always have a set in the garage, but it's ridiculous to pretend that storing 4 spare wheels and tyres is a safety essential for most people.

I used to have a spare set of winters tyres for my car but storage and swapping them over was a pain… Too early? Too late?

Now our cars have all-season tyres fitted, so no need.

Fire and carbon monoxide alarms That’s it. Oh and first aid box/medicine box . That’s it.

Smoke detector/CO detector (it's a combo thing, the lady tells you which one it is)
Security system
First aid kit in house and in each car
Fire extinguisher in the kitchen and in the garage
Glock in a small gun safe in my nightstand

Thank you all for your responses! I've been reading them throughout the day and feel very reassured that I'm not being OTT. In fact I now have a list of extras that I want to add...including kitting out my car!!