The Importance of Planning for Home Fires - What to Prepare & Plan
The fire damage restoration professionals from Paul Davis know how serious house fires can be. Not only can house fires ruin your residence and personal belongings, but they are emotionally disconcerting and make you feel unsafe. Fires can occur without a moment's notice and can be caused by lots of variables, and they can be out of your control such as natural disasters or your neighbor's house being on fire. But there are a few steps you can take to minimize the dangers of a house fire in your house.Form and Practice an Emergency Plan
When it comes to home fires, not all of them are in your control and can't be stopped. That is why it's essential to have safety strategies in place. Fire extinguishers and smoke alarms are a must, and make sure you have the correct number to suit your residence. But you should consider using smoke alarms that can catch smoke from fires generated by electricity, because faulty wiring is one of the main causes of house fires. If there are children in the home, you'll want to train them on what the smoke alarm sounds like and what to do when one goes off. Other precautions include planning fire escape routes in your house. Create a plan and make sure everybody in the house knows the fire escape routes – there should be two exits for each room in the home. Also, it's essential to have a planned meeting place outside so you know who gets out of the house and who is absent. Another thing you should do is secure your valuable items such as photographs, birth certificates and passports. You can create digital copies and place them into cloud storage for safe keeping, and you can purchase a strong box to keep the real copies safe as well. Finally, take inventory of all your personal belongings for insurance reasons in the event they're consumed by the flames.What to Think about to Lessen Home Fire Risk
Here are a few aspects to keep in mind so you can minimize the perils and hazards that are commonly correlated with house fires:- Cooking: It's fundamental to be attentive in the kitchen and to not leave food being cooked unattended. Always have somebody there to watch everything going on.
- Appliances and Electrical: Examine your light switches to see if they need to be replaced. If they're hot to the touch, that's a clue that they're faulty. Another thing you need to do is check your electrical appliances for frayed cords and damaged plugs.
- Portable Heaters: It's very important to relocate any combustible items at least three feet from a portable heater. You'll also need your portable heater to have a control mechanism as well as other safety features such as shutting off when the heater falls over.
- Fireplaces: Having a legitimate fireplace screen is necessary for the safety of your property and everybody in it. Make sure it's reliable enough to prevent rolling logs and flares. You also need to clean and maintain your fireplace and chimney regularly to remove the highly combustible creosote that develops.
- Children: Children are curious and fire is fascinating for them, so instruct your children that fire isn't something to play with. Additionally, keep matches and lighters in an area that is out of sight and out of reach.
- Smoking: Cigars and cigarettes are extreme fire risks, and taking your smoking outside is the finest approach to avoid a house fire. If you smoke indoors, make sure you have deep ashtrays and that under any situation you don't smoke in bed or while you're drowsy. Also, never smoke indoors when someone in the house is on oxygen because this is highly combustible.