Die Anschläge in New York und Washington am 11

Self-protection in the home 
 
Although there is no such thing as absolute protection 
against all incidents or cases of damage, most dangers can 
be countered by preventive measures or harmful 
consequences can be diminished by effective action. It is 
particularly important, for example, to inform oneself in good 
time about any impending dangers at one’s place of 
residence and the precautionary measures which have been 
undertaken.
The dangers to people and property can also be reduced 
substantially by measures of preventive fire protection in the 
home, e.g. by using fire-retardant building materials, fire-
proof doors in boiler rooms, fitting smoke detectors and 
ensuring that fire-fighting devices are available. 
Measures to combat fires 
Around 600 people are killed and over 5,000 are injured by 
fires throughout Germany each year! Property to the value of 
over 10 billion euros goes up in flames in private homes 
every year. Disasters can lead to extensive fires. Fire 
protection thus forms part of the necessary precautionary 
measures. If, despite all precautions, a fire occurs, whereby 
many sources of fires may arise as a result of a disaster, the 
fire brigade cannot be everywhere at the same time. In this 
case, it is vital for those affected to respond quickly and in 
the correct manner, so as to ideally extinguish fires 
immediately after they occur. This requires a number of 
simple devices such as fire extinguishers or a garden hose, 
which should be kept in an easily accessible place. 

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- 87 - 
Before a fire breaks out: 
Irrespective of whether you are in your own home or another 
building, prior to a fire breaking out you should ascertain 
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how the next stairwell is to be reached in case of danger 
(these stairwells are escape and rescue routes leading 
outside; lifts must not be used in case of fire!), 
what preparatory measures have been undertaken to 
evacuate people with walking difficulties, 
what facilities are available for making an emergency call, 
where fire extinguishing devices are located and how they 
are operated. 
Please ensure 
that corridors and stairwells are not narrowed or even 
blocked by any objects - it must be possible to use the 
escape route free of any obstacles, 
that doors along rescue routes are closed but never 
locked, in order to counter spreading of the fire or smoke 
along the escape route, 
that hydrants and fire brigade access routes are not 
blocked, 
that the building’s safety facilities are not damaged and 
that any damage is reported immediately, 
that open light, candles or fire are kept under surveillance 
at all times, 
that the electrical systems and devices are in perfect 
working order and are not interfered with, 
that the most important documents and papers are kept to 
hand at home, should “evacuation” unexpectedly be 
necessary.