The Importance of Planning for House Fires - How to Plan & Prepare
When it comes to challenging circumstances, there few events as taxing than a fire that harms your home and personal belongings. Being a fire damage restoration company, Paul Davis understands what a severe threat home fires are. Without notification, all it takes is a couple of minutes before a fire gets out of control. A fire in your home is a terrible and emotionally exhausting situation, even if it destroys everything or not. However, you can do certain things to make sure that you are all set for when a fire occurs.Have Fire Escape Plan at All Times in Place
Safety should be the first concern when prepping for a home fire, and fire extinguishers and smoke alarms should be placed throughout the house. Smoke alarms are vital because a fire can come out of the blue and you need to do something as fast as possible. Another thing to think about with smoke alarms is purchasing ones that can identify smoke caused from electrical fires. Finally, any children living in the home need to be instructed on what a smoke alarm sounds like when it's triggered and what to do when it happens. Some other safety procedures include planning out fire escape routes in your home. Create a strategy and make sure everyone in the home understands the emergency fire escape routes – there should be two exits for each room in the home. Also, it's fundamental to have a planned meeting place outside so you know who gets out of the home and who is absent. Another thing you should do is secure your valuable items like birth certificates, passports and photographs. You can make digital copies and store them into a cloud drive as a backup, and you can purchase a strong box to keep the real copies safe too. Finally, take inventory of all your personal belongings for insurance reasons in the event they're burned up by the flames.To Minimize the Chances of House Fires Practice These Precautions
Even though some fires aren't avoidable, there are some things you can do to decrease the prospect of a fire from occurring in your home:- Cooking: Always remain in the area during the time food is in the oven or on the stove and never leave it unattended. If you need to step out of the area, get someone to keep an eye on the food until you return.
- Appliances and Electrical: Do a periodic check on your appliances and make sure the plugs and cords are in good condition. If switches for your lights are hot to the touch, then it's time to switch them out.
- Portable Heaters: Not under any circumstance should you leave a space heater alone, and keep flammable or combustible objects three feet away from it. It's also necessary for your heater to contain the proper safety features. For example, the heater shuts off when it falls over.
- Fireplaces: It's imperative to clean routinely and inspect your fireplace for creosote and other damage. Get a screen for your fireplace that is durable and big enough to catch flying sparks and stop rolling logs.
- Children: Educate your children that fire is not something to play with, and make sure to store matches and lighters in a spot that's out of sight and out of reach.
- Smoking: Smoking outside is the best approach to avert a home fire from taking place. It's critical to not smoke inside if someone in the property is using oxygen because oxygen is highly combustible. If you smoke inside, don't smoke while drowsy or in bed and have ashtrays that are deep.
