Plan ahead to keep your home safe and protected
August 3, 2010
The best way to protect your home and property is to have a home safety plan in place to help ensure you have all of your bases covered in the event of an emergency. There are a number of areas in your home that can provide a potential danger to you and your loved ones, and often some simple planning and routine maintenance can be the difference between disaster and prevention. The month of October is national fire prevention month and there are a number of things every homeowner should do on a regular basis.
• First on the list is to ensure that your home has the correct number of smoke alarms and that you exchange the batteries a minimum of twice per year (day light savings time changes are good reminders)
• Have a professional chimney inspection every two years at a minimum depending on how heavily this is used
• Furnaces should be inspected on a regular basis
• Space heaters should be placed in the middle of rooms away from curtains and papers
• Don’t leave candles burning in rooms that are unattended or when you leave your home
• Never smoke in bed
• Keep flammable liquids such as propane and gasoline in a garage or shed, off of the ground
• Have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen and on every level of your home
• Set an emergency fire evacuation plan in place with your family and review this a minimum of twice per year
• If you are grilling, make certain your grill is outdoors and not in a garage
• Never use a hot oil grill on a wooden deck
• Do not place flammable materials around a fireplace, including kindling, blankets, matches, etc
• Remember to practice fire safety and teach children the stop, drop and roll techniques in the event they ever have are involved in a fire accident. It’s important that they learn to crawl under the smoke levels and have a clear plan in the event of an emergency, including leaning to dial 911 or go to a neighbors home for help.
Fire safety and prevention can help to turn bad situations into manageable emergencies. Planning and practice will go a long way towards helping to prevent fires and be prepared if there is an emergency.
