What are some tips to prevent fires when hosting my Airbnb Experience?
Airbnb has partnered with the American Red Cross and the International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent to provide our community with general safety resources. These resources, applicable in 191 countries, were developed by the Red Cross Red Crescent’s Global Disaster Preparedness Center, which is an international reference center created to build a global community for disaster preparedness innovation and learning. In an emergency situation, contact local police or emergency services immediately.
Everybody wants to be safe, however unexpected accidents may occur and we want you to be prepared. This article offers some basic first aid tips prepared by the Red Cross that can help increase safety awareness. These tips are a great start, but we also strongly recommend that you to sign up for a first aid and CPR training course near you.
Fire prevention and safety actions can provide protection from emergencies due to wildfires or home fires. If you offer outdoor or indoor activities on your experience, here are some recommendations to mitigate risks by identifying and removing fire hazards.
IN THIS ARTICLE
Fire safety prevention tools
Bring the following items to the experience location in case of fire:
A fire escape plan
Emergency kit
Fire extinguishers
Smoke alarms/carbon monoxide alarms
First aid app for your country
Hazard app for your country
Safety precautions for indoor and outdoor experiences
Whether your experience will occur inside (cooking, painting, or performances) or outdoors (hiking, camping, others), you should take precautions to prevent fires.
Here are some recommendations that will guide you in safely planning your activity:
Indoor experiences
Be sure your location has functioning smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms during the activity. Check if those alarms are working properly by pushing the test button. If they don’t, change the batteries or replace the device.
Be equipped with a fire extinguisher during the activity in case of any fire hazard. Test the extinguisher first and learn how to activate it.
Inform your guests about fire safety actions and a fire escape plan at the start of the experience.
Outdoor experiences
Check the usage restrictions of flammable and non-flammable objects in outdoor locations such as natural parks or public areas. In many places it is forbidden to use matches or outdoor stoves/grills with charcoal. Instead, use flashlights, electric stoves, or gas lamps.
Bring a fire extinguisher. Test it beforehand and learn how to use it.
Inform your guests about designated places to smoke.
Tips for avoiding fire hazards
Recommend the following precautions to your guests to reduce the risk of a fire:
Keep flammable items that can catch on fire at least three feet away from anything that gets hot, such as space heaters, candles, lighters, paint solvent, or other items.
Never use a generator, grill, camp stove, or other gasoline, propane, natural gas, or charcoal-burning devices inside a home, garage, or any partially enclosed area.
Use designated areas to smoke or light a bonfire.
Don’t leave candles unattended.
Make sure children know not to play with lighters and/or matches and keep them out of their reach.
Don’t light fireworks in forbidden areas or inside a building.
After a bonfire, add water and sand or rocks to extinguish it. Check to ensure the flames are completely out.
Tips for kitchen safety
The kitchen is the room where fires happen most often. Here are some suggestions to follow:
Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
Keep anything that can catch fire—like pot holders, towels, plastic, and clothing—away from the stove.
Keep pets off of cooking surfaces and countertops to prevent them from knocking things onto the burner.
Small grease fires can occur while cooking. Consider keeping a lid or cover near the stove to extinguish small fires; always leave the fire covered until the heat has fully dispersed from the cooking vessel.
Tips for how to respond in case of fire
Fires spread in a fast and dangerous way. Share with your guests some instructions and tips on how to respond:
Stop, drop, and roll if a fire catches the clothing you are using.
If the place (indoor or outdoor) is on fire, leave immediately and call the fire department and your local emergency number.
If you are inside, do not open a door if the door feels warm against the back of your hand. Warm temperatures suggest that there is a fire on the other side. Use a secondary exit instead.
If you can’t exit, open a window and wave something white to a signal for help, such as a pillowcase or piece of clothing.
Stay low to the ground and crawl to avoid breathing in smoke.
If a minor burn happens, cool the burn under clean, cool running water for at least ten minutes, then cover with plastic wrap or a clean plastic bag.
Use the fire escape plan provided in the Safety Card and immediately contact the local emergency number or the closest fire station.
Don’t go back into the area until after the fire department recommends because it might still be risky.
Also, let guests know they can find more info in the Red Cross Red Crescent First Aid app.
Additional guidance
Emergency planning
We recommend that all guests and hosts engaging in an experience prepare an emergency plan in case of a disaster caused by a natural hazard or any other kind of emergency that could occur during an experience. Find out more about making an emergency plan.
Airbnb provided trip protections
All Experiences include 24/7 community support. Airbnb also maintains $1,000,000 USD of liability insurance under our Experience Protection Insurance program, in order to provide hosts and guests with peace of mind (certain exclusions apply). Additionally, in the event of a life-threatening injury, we also have partnered with an emergency medevac provider that may be activated to reach an injured party to support a medically necessary evacuation.
Partner disclaimers
American Red Cross and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): Courtesy of the American Red Cross and International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. ©2019 The American National Red Cross. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
The American Red Cross and International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent name and emblem are used with its permission, which in no way constitutes an endorsement, express or implied, of any product, service, company, opinion or political position. The American Red Cross logo is a registered trademark owned by The American National Red Cross. For more information about the American Red Cross, visit redcross.org.