Home Fire Safety 101

3/4/2020 (Permalink)

In the event of a fire starting in your home, time is of the essence. Mere seconds can determine the severity of the damage that a fire can inflict upon your home. Therefore, preparing your home for the worst and having a fire emergency plan in place ahead of time is necessary in order to keep your home and those living in it as safe as possible during an emergency. Follow these guidelines in order to get the best understanding of each necessary element of fire protection for your home.

Smoke Alarms

Make sure that smoke alarms are installed on each level of your home. It may be extra beneficial to have one smoke alarm inside of every sleeping area in addition to the one alarm per level. It is very important that smoke alarms are tested regularly and that their batteries are changed yearly to make sure that they are functioning properly. Consider installing a central carbon monoxide detector in addition to smoke alarms in order to protect your home from deadly fumes.

Fire Extinguishers

Be sure that there is at least one fire extinguisher in your home that is easy to access in the event of a fire. The type of fire extinguisher recommended for household use is an ABC fire extinguisher, which can put out three different classes of fires. Class A covers trash, paper, and wood fires. Class B is for various liquids and gases. Finally, Class C is for fires emanating from electrical sources. Understand how to use your fire extinguisher beforehand so that you don’t have to waste time reading the directions during an actual emergency.

Enforce Safe Practices

Teach your children the dangers of playing with fire and keep matches as well as lighters in a secure location away from them at all times. Lastly, create a fire emergency plan with your family in order to have a predetermined escape route in the event of an emergency that your entire family can remember in case you become separated.