Fire Safety Tips for Your Parachute Home

3/2/2022 (Permalink)

Burned House

For many of us, a home is irreplaceable. It's a place that's special to you and your family, and it's the place where you feel safe and well. A fire can total home and cause enormous damage. That damage will have to be repaired. While the emotional damage will take time to heal, SERVPRO of Garfield & Pitkin Counties has the human resources and the expertise to restore your home and reverse the fire damage.

Although SERVPRO of Garfield & Pitkin is more than capable of taking care of any damages from a fire, it's always best to prevent house fires in the first place.

Here are some practical tips to help you prevent a house fire.

 Install Smoke Detectors

You should have working smoke detectors installed on every level of your home to help warn you when a fire has started. For example, if something started as a small fire, hearing the alarm from a smoke detector can give you a chance to put the fire out before it grows more significant and more dangerous. Keep your sensors clean and free of cobwebs and dust to prevent false alarms. If the fire is already quite large, your focus should be on safely getting yourself and any pets or loved ones out of the house.

It's good practice to change the batteries during daylight saving time and test smoke detectors monthly to ensure they're working correctly. You should also have an escape plan that you and your loved ones can follow and easily remember should there be a fire.

Install Fire Extinguishers

Install your fire extinguishers high on the wall so they're easily accessible and away from children. It would be best if you also learned how to use your fire extinguishers become familiar with how they operate since you won't have time to learn how to use them when a fire breaks out. Call your local fire department to see if they offer any training for homeowners to use a fire extinguisher.

Check Your Wiring

If you live in an older home, the aging wiring in your electrical system should be thoroughly checked by a trained electrician. If you can't afford to have the wiring completely overhauled, having a trained electrician check the wiring routinely should eliminate any major problems down the road. 

Avoid Candles

To reduce the risk of fire, keep candles a safe distance of 12 inches or more from anything that can burn and never leave an open flame unattended or near children. Extinguish candles before leaving the room or going to sleep. If you love the warm glow candles give your home, use battery-operated flameless candles, which are much safer.

Keep an eye on your cooking

Unattended cooking equipment is a leading cause of home fires, using grills on wooden or combustible decks is also a contributor.

When cooking, you should always:

• Keep cooking appliances clear of combustible materials such as rags, towels, and packaging materials.
• Keep children away from all cooking areas.

Plan your Escape

A home fire escape plan is essential because every second counts when a fire breaks out. Before the worst happens, make sure everyone in your family knows how to get out and that there's nothing to stop that from happening. Identify all possible escape routes from your home and establish a meeting place outside, a safe distance from your house, with your family. Then, conduct your fire drills, both during the day and at night, so you're never caught off guard in an emergency.

Here at SERVPRO of Garfield & Pitkin, we care about the communities we serve. Therefore, we cooked up these helpful tips. While we'd love to have your business, we sincerely hope that a fire will never damage your home.