Preventing Fires in Your Home
While thousands of house fires occur every year, many of them are preventable with a little bit of preparation, proper maintenance, and fire safety. Here are some of the best fire safety tips you can use to make your home a safer place.
Use Smoke Alarms
Fire alarms can make a difference between having time to evacuate your house and being seriously injured. Smoke alarms should be present in all bedrooms, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of your home. Change the batteries once a year and test them regularly to make sure that each alarm is operational and not expired.
Follow Fire Safety Tips in the Kitchen
Many house fires start in the kitchen. Teach everyone in your household how to follow fire safety tips when cooking in the kitchen, including:
- Keeping flammable or combustible items far away from the stove and burners
- Not wearing clothes with loose or hanging sleeves when cooking
- Tying back your hair
- Turning pot and panhandles in when cooking
- Teaching your children things to not touch in the kitchen or operate without the help of an adult
- Educating everyone on what to do if a grease fire starts
One of the Best Fire Saftey Tips is to Have a Plan to Evacuate
Being able to leave safely and quickly is critical if there is a chance that fire is occurring on your property or smoke alarms are sounding. One of the best free fire safety tips is taking time to plan so that every member of your family understands where to go and what not to do. Everyone should have access to two exits from their bedroom, including windows.
Keep Fire Extinguishers Around Your House
Keep a fire extinguisher on each level of your house, near your furnace, and in the kitchen. Learn how to operate your extinguishers properly, and check them once a year to see if they need to be charged or replaced. Because different brands of fire extinguishers can operate differently, it’s a good idea to stick to one brand throughout your home.
Use Caution With Space Heaters
Space heaters are a great way to heat small spaces or single rooms when you don’t want to turn up the thermostat for your whole house. However, they are also significant fire hazards. Never use a power strip or an extension cord for plugging in a space heater. Keep flammable items at least three feet away from the heater, and never run them overnight or when you are out of the room.
Digs Doctor Home Inspections offers inspection to customers in Charlotte, NC, and the surrounding areas. Contact us to schedule our services.