If you need to use oxygen in your home, you know how important it is to use your oxygen equipment and supplies properly so you can stay safe and breathe more easily. There are certain best practices you should be following at home in order to make sure your oxygen equipment is safe and functioning properly. At PulseAir Heart and Lung Centre, we specialize in providing patients with the oxygen equipment they need and making sure they can use it safely.
The Risk of Fire
Oxygen is a highly flammable substance that needs to be kept away from any potential hazards that could cause it to ignite and cause a fire. In order to prevent your oxygen from igniting, take the following steps:
- No smoking – whether it’s you or someone lighting a cigarette near you, any open flame is extremely dangerous around your equipment.
- Keep equipment away from open heating sources like gas stoves, candles and fireplaces.
- Keep your oxygen containers upright to ensure they don’t topple over which could cause them to leak.
Keep a Fire Extinguisher in Your Home
Because oxygen is so flammable, it’s essential to have a working fire extinguisher in your home so you can put a fire out if necessary. Make sure the fire extinguisher is in good working condition and is tested regularly so you know it works if you ever need it. It’s also important to have an easy escape route out of your home if a fire gets out of control.
Maintain Power in Your Home
Your oxygen equipment, particularly oxygen concentrators, need power to run. If you lose power in your home, you lose the ability to use your equipment which puts you at risk. Make sure you to tell your electricity provider that you use home oxygen and ask them to place you on their priority service list in case there is ever an outage.
The staff at PulseAir Heart and Lung Centre can help you find the right oxygen equipment and make sure you know how to use it safely. Please contact us to learn more about how we can help you.