Preventing and Responding to Fire Emergencies
It’s important to know how to prevent a fire emergency from happening in our homes. Here are four fire safety tips to keep your home safe.
One of the First Safety Tips is to Keep Everything Up to Date
There are things in our homes that need to be assessed in order to make sure they are working and safe. These include smoke alarms, electrical wiring, and your chimney.
Test your smoke detectors monthly and change the batteries every 6 months, and the detectors themselves should be replaced every 10 years. Have the chimney cleaned every year to remove creosote, a very flammable byproduct of fires. Call an electrician at the first sign of an electrical problem.
Have Functioning, Up To Date Fire Extinguishers
Know how to put out a fire should one start in your home. Water is not recommended to extinguish fires, as grease and electrical fires are made more dangerous when water is involved. Class A extinguishers will cover common house fires, while classes B and C are also good to have in the garage and near the electrical panel. To be extra safe, get multiple extinguishers. If you only have one, make sure it is in the kitchen since that’s where most fires start.
Don’t Leave Anything That Can Start a Fire Unattended
Space heaters, fireplaces, cooking food, and even burning candles can all lead to disaster if left unattended. If you aren’t going to be in the same room when using these items, turn them off or put them out.
Keep yourself safe from fire by always making sure open flames are monitored and never leave a space heater running in an empty room. The more quickly you react to an emergency, the safer you’ll be. Fire spreads quickly, so make sure someone is always near a fire source to keep it from getting out of hand.
Fire Safety Tips are About Preparation
In order to keep you and your property safe from fire damage, think of how a fire could start in your house and how you’ll deal with it. Properly functioning smoke alarms will alert you to danger so you can attempt to extinguish the fire. This is only possible if you have sufficiently equipped your home with fire extinguishers.
Even when you’re prepared, a fire can easily get out of hand. Make an escape plan with your family that includes multiple exit routes and a designated spot to meet up outside that’s a safe distance away from the home. Explain fire safety tips to your children. Make sure your children know how to call 911 and that the older kids know how to use the fire extinguishers.
Oasis Home Inspections provides home inspections to customers in Brevard County, Florida. Contact us to schedule an appointment.