If you’re a smoker and your top concern revolving around your bad habit is your health, you need to reconsider.
While it’s perfectly fine to be very concerned over the health impacts that your habit is having over you as they are very severe and significant, you absolutely cannot overlook the fire hazard you are posing to yourself as well as to others.
All it takes is one small slip-up for an entire building or area to go up in flames, causing hundreds, if not thousands of dollars of damage.
Smokers are a far greater fire hazard than they realize at times and by taking the time to learn all the ways in which you are a hazard, you can better help prevent a fire from occurring.
Let’s look at some of these ways so that you can get this idea clear in your mind.
1The Embers
Most people don’t realize just how easy fires can start. All it takes is a few of the embers of your cigarette to touch a flammable surface for it to go up in flames.
As such, you should be very careful with where you toss your cigarette after having it. never place it in an indoor garbage can as you never know what it contains.
Always use a proper astray to toss your cigarette and if you are going to be butting out outside, you must make sure that you step on it thoroughly to put it out.
2Smoking In Bed
Another way that smokers can pose a fire hazard is if they choose to smoke in bed. If you accidentally happen to drift off while that cigarette is in your hand and it touches the bedding near you or any other object, before you know it, it’ll be more than your blanket keeping you warm.
Never ever bring cigarettes into the bedroom, period. Instead, smoke sitting in an upright position so there is no change you will fall asleep while having one.
3Outdoor Fires
Having a cigarette outdoors does not give you the free pass to toss it anywhere. Again, remember that the embers can light up in flames very easily depending upon the surface they touch, so if you are going to smoke outdoors, especially in areas where plenty of trees and wood are present, make sure you put out that cigarette properly.
It’s relatively easy for outdoor fires to start, so you need to be very careful in this situation.
4Near Gas Stations
Another place where you need to be very, very careful about smoking and where it is often illegal to smoke in many locations is anywhere near a gas station.
Gas is so highly flammable that you simply don’t want to take any changes with this one. Always make sure that you stop smoking far away from a gas station and never even consider lighting up while you are filing your tank with gas.
Not only is this a major health hazard to yourself, but also to others who happen to be around you.
5In The Car
Don’t discount the fire hazard of smoking in the car either. The car is a very enclosed space and if you are constantly flicking embers out the window as you have your cigarette, what’s to stop those embers from falling on the seat?
It’s far too easy for those embers to start a car fire and if a fire lights up as you are driving, you are going to be in a really serious situation.
Do your best to stop the car entirely, get out, and smoke then if you have to.
So there you have some of the many ways that smokers can cause a fire hazard not only to themselves but to others. It’s time to start being more aware of where you are smoking and any risks that you may cause.
Most smokers are just so concerned about satisfying their craving for a cigarette that they completely discount the effects that lighting up could have.
Start being smarter so that you never end up finding yourself in a very unfortunate situation.
