The Significance of Preparing for House Fires - How to Prepare & Plan

The fire damage restoration experts from Paul Davis understand how detrimental house fires are. Not only can house fires decimate your home and personal possessions, but they are emotionally disconcerting and make you feel insecure. Fires can occur without a moment's notice and can be caused by lots of variables, so a lot of the time they're out of your control such as your neighbor's house being on fire or natural disasters. Nevertheless, there are still a few precautions you can implement to lessen the risk of a house fire in your home.

The Importance of Fire Escape Plans

Safety should be the first concern when getting ready for a house fire, and fire extinguishers and smoke alarms should be located throughout the home. Smoke alarms are crucial since a fire could spring out of the blue and you need to do something as quickly as possible. Something else to consider with smoke alarms is obtaining ones that can identify smoke caused from electrical fires. Lastly, any kids residing in the house need to be taught about how a smoke alarm sounds when it's triggered and what to do when it occurs. Implement plans for emergency fire routes and ensure everybody knows about them. There should always be two exits from all rooms in the house. Also, you'll want to have a designated meeting location outside of the house so that you're sure everybody makes it out securely. Something else you should do is secure your important things such as passports, photographs and birth certificates. You could make digital replicas and store them into a cloud drive for safe keeping, and you can get a strong box to keep the real copies safe as well. Lastly, take inventory of all your personal possessions for insurance purposes in the event they're consumed by the flames.

To Lessen the Hazards of House Fires Perform These Precautions

Even though some fires aren't preventable, there are a few things you can do to decrease the chances of a fire from occurring in your home:

  • Smoking: Outdoor smoking is the best method to prevent a house fire from occurring. It's crucial to not smoke indoors if someone in the residence is using oxygen since it is highly combustible. When you smoke inside, don't smoke in bed and while drowsy and have ashtrays that are deep.
  • Children: Kids are inquisitive and fire is exciting to them, so educate your kids that fire is not something to play with. Also, keep lighters and matches in an area that is out of sight and out of reach.
  • Fireplaces: It's vital to clean routinely and examine your fireplace for creosote and other damage. Get a screen for your fireplace that is durable and large enough to block rolling logs and catch sparks.
  • Portable Heaters: It's imperative to relocate any combustible items at least three feet from a portable heater. You'll also want your portable heater to have a control mechanism as well as other features for safety such as turning off if the heater falls over.
  • Appliances and Electrical: Perform a routine check on your appliances and ensure the plugs and cords are in good condition. Also, when your light switches are hot to the touch, then it's time to replace them.
  • Cooking: It's fundamental to be observant in the kitchen and to not ignore food being cooked alone. Always have somebody there to monitor what's going on.

Call the Experienced Fire Damage Restoration Experts from Paul Davis

When you experience a house fire, don't wait to reach out to Paul Davis. Our professional team has the experience you need with fire damage repair services and we can have your residence back to a good condition. Call Paul at 888-473-7669 and a local franchise near your location will be available to help.