How Should You Prepare for a Home Fire? - Fire Damage Restoration

When it comes to burdensome circumstances, there are events as taxing than a fire that destroys your residence and personal property. Being a fire damage restoration company, Paul Davis knows what a dangerous threat house fires are. Out of the blue, all it takes is a couple of minutes before flames are ignited. A fire in your home is a terrible and emotionally draining event, whether it damages everything or not. Yet, you can prepare certain things to ensure that you are all set for when a fire occurs.

Design and Practice a Fire Escape Strategy for Your Property

One of the most fundamental things you can do to prepare for a house fire is to have safety rules in place. Because not all fires are preventable, being safe is necessary. Every home needs the proper amount of smoke alarms and fire extinguishers placed around the property. Additionally, you should think about purchasing smoke alarms that identify smoke that is generated by electrical fires since faulty wiring is one of the main culprits of house fires. Kids in the house should be educated on what the smoke alarm sounds like when it's triggered and what to do when this occurs. Create plans for emergency fire routes and make sure everybody knows about them. It's critical to have two exits out of all rooms in the residence. Also, you'll need to have a planned meeting spot outside of the residence so that you're sure everybody makes it out safely. Another thing you should do is secure your valuable things like birth certificates, passports and photographs. You could create digital replicas and store them into cloud storage for safe keeping, and you can get a fire safe box to keep the real copies secure as well. Finally, take inventory of all your personal belongings for insurance purposes in case they're burned up by the flames.

To Lessen the Dangers of Home Fires Practice These Measures

Although some fires are uncontrollable, there are some precautions you should take to avoid a house fire:

  • Smoking: Cigarettes and cigars are serious fire threats, and taking your smoking outside is the perfect method to avoid a house fire. If you smoke inside, make sure you have deep ashtrays and that you never smoke in bed or while you're drowsy. Additionally, never smoke inside if someone in the house is using oxygen since this is highly explosive.
  • Children: Teach your kids that fire is not a toy, and make sure to store your matches and lighters in an area that is out of sight and out of reach.
  • Fireplaces: Creosote is highly flammable and it develops in your fireplace after it's been used, so always get your fireplace cleaned consistently. Obtaining a large, durable screen is also essential to avoid sparks from coming into the room and rolling logs.
  • Portable Heaters: Guarantee your space heater has a thermostat and a control mechanism, and it should switch off if it falls over.
  • Appliances and Electrical: Check your light switches to see if they need to be changed out. If they're hot to the touch, that's a sign that they're damaged. Additionally, examine your electrical appliances for torn cords and broken plugs.
  • Cooking: The kitchen is one of the most vulnerable spots for a fire to develop. It's fundamental to be attentive to what's in the oven or on the stove, and if you have to step out, have somebody keep an eye on it until you return.

Reach Out to the Fire Damage Restoration Technicians at Paul Davis

Home fires happen, whether it's an accident or something out of your control, Paul Davis is here to help out. Our fire damage restoration services can re-mediate your property back to normal again. Call us at 888-473-7669 and a franchise near your location will be there for you.