Fire Damage Restoration Expert Advice - Planning for a House Fire
As far as catastrophic disasters go there aren't many events as stunning as a fire that ruins your home and belongings. A fire in your home is a harrowing and an emotionally draining event, whether it damages everything or not. Yet, there are specific precautions you can implement to lessen the odds of a fire from occurring in your house. The fire damage restoration team at Paul Davis understands the serious situation of home fires and that's why it's vital to know how to prepare your home and what to do when a fire occurs.Process and Practice a Fire Escape Strategy for Your Home
One of the more essential things you can do to plan for a home fire is to have safety rules in place. Since not all fires are preventable, being safe is a necessity. Every house needs the right amount of smoke alarms and fire extinguishers located around the property. You should also think about buying smoke alarms that identify smoke that is caused by electrical fires because damaged wiring is one of the main causes of home fires. Kids in the home should be taught how a smoke alarm sounds when it goes off and what to do when this occurs. Implement plans for emergency fire routes and ensure everyone knows about them. It's critical to have two exits from all rooms in the property. Also, you'll need to have a designated meeting spot outside of the property so that you're sure everyone gets out securely. Another thing you should do is secure your important items such as birth certificates, passports and photographs. You can create digital copies and store them into a cloud drive as a backup, and you can buy a strong box to keep the real copies safe as well. Finally, make a record of all your personal possessions for insurance reasons in case they're burned up by the flames.Things to Think about to Minimize House Fire Risk
Although some fires are out of your control, there are some safety measures you should implement to avoid a home fire:- Fireplaces: Creosote is very combustible and it develops in your fireplace and chimney after it's been in use, so always get your fireplace cleaned and maintained consistently. Having a large, durable screen is also fundamental to avoid sparks from flying into the room and rolling logs.
- Portable Heaters: It's imperative to keep any combustible or flammable objects at least three feet from a space heater. You'll also need your space heater to have a control mechanism too and other safety features such as turning off if it falls over.
- Smoking: Indoor smoking makes your property exposed to home fires, so the best method to avoid a calamity is to smoke outside. If you do smoke inside, make sure you have proper ashtrays to prevent a cigarette or cigar from falling onto the ground. But if someone in the home is using oxygen, do not smoke inside because oxygen is very combustible.
- Children: Educate your children that fire is not something to play with, and make sure to keep matches and lighters in a safe place that is out of sight and out of reach.
- Cooking: The kitchen is one of the more common spots for a fire to develop. It's essential to be aware of what's in the oven or on the stove, and if you have to leave, have someone keep an eye on it until you return.
- Appliances and Electrical: Examine the switches for your lights to see if they need to be changed out. If they're hot to the touch, that's a sign that they're defective. Another thing you need to do is check your appliances for frayed cords and broken plugs.
