Plan & Prepare for a Home Fire - Advice from Fire Damage Restoration Professionals
As far as catastrophic disasters go there are few things as devastating as a fire that ruins your home and personal belongings. A fire in your property is a distressing and an emotionally draining situation, whether it ruins everything or not. Nevertheless, there are some precautions you can implement to decrease the odds of a fire from occurring in your house. The fire damage repair team from Paul Davis understands the serious situation of house fires and that's why it's vital to know how to prepare your property and what to do when a fire occurs.Prep Your Home for the Possibility of a Fire & Have a Fire Escape Plan Prepared at All Times
One of the most important things you can do to plan for a house fire is to have safety measures ready. Since not all fires are preventable, being safe is a necessity. All properties need the proper amount of smoke alarms and fire extinguishers set around the property. Additionally, you should consider getting smoke alarms that detect smoke that is produced by electrical fires because damaged wiring is one of the primary causes of house fires. Children in the house should be instructed on what the smoke alarm sounds like when it's triggered and what to do when this occurs. Then have your fire escape program ready. Everyone in the property should know two ways to escape from each room and where to meet outside when a fire occurs. Additionally, make sure that all members of the household know how to call 911 in the case of an emergency. Another thing you need to do is secure your important items such as photographs, birth certificates and passports. You could make digital copies and place them into a cloud drive for safe keeping, and you can purchase a fire safe box to keep the real copies safe as well. Lastly, make a record of all your personal belongings for insurance reasons in case they're burned up by the flames.What to Keep in Mind to Lessen Home Fire Risk
Even though some fires aren't avoidable, there are some things you can do to minimize the chances of a fire from developing in your house:- Cooking: It's fundamental to be aware in the kitchen and to not leave cooking food alone. Without exception have someone there to watch everything going on.
- Appliances and Electrical: Check your light switches to see if they need to be changed out. When they're hot to the touch, that's a clue that they're defective. Also, check your appliances for worn out cords and damaged plugs.
- Portable Heaters: It's fundamental to keep any combustible items at least three feet from a space heater. {Also,} you'll need your space heater to have a control mechanism too and other features for safety such as turning off if it falls over.
- Fireplaces: Obtaining a suitable screen for your fireplace is integral for the safety of your house and everyone who resides in it. Ensure that it is strong enough to stop flares and rolling logs. You also should clean and maintain your fireplace consistently to clear away the extremely combustible creosote that builds up.
- Children: Store any matches or lighters in a location that is out of sight and out of reach from kids to prevent their curiosity from starting a fire. Educate your kids that fire is not something to play with as well.
- Smoking: Cigars and cigarettes are serious hazards for fire, and taking your smoking outside is the perfect way to avoid a house fire. When you smoke indoors, make sure you have deep ashtrays and that you never smoke in bed or while you're drowsy. Also, never smoke indoors if someone in the house is on oxygen as this is highly explosive.