Plan & Prepare for a Home Fire - Instruction from Fire Damage Restoration Experts
As far as destructive accidents go there are few things as devastating as a fire that damages your home and belongings. A fire in your home is a distressing and an emotionally exhausting event, whether it consumes everything or not. Yet, there are some precautions you can implement to decrease the odds of a fire from happening in your house. The fire damage repair team at Paul Davis understands the serious condition of home fires and that's why it's important to know how to plan and prepare your house and what to do when a fire happens.The Priority of Fire Escape Plans
One of the most crucial things you can do to plan for a home fire is to have safety rules in place. Because not all fires are avoidable, being safe is a necessity. Every house needs the proper amount of smoke alarms and fire extinguishers set around the property. Additionally, you should consider getting smoke alarms that detect smoke that is produced by electrical fires because damaged wiring is one of the main causes of home fires. Children in the home should be taught how a smoke alarm sounds when it's triggered and what to do when it does. Create plans for emergency fire routes and ensure everyone is attentive of them. Always have two exits from every room in the property. Also, you'll need to have a planned meeting spot outside of the property so that you're sure everyone makes it out safely. Taking inventory of your personal possessions is an excellent idea for insurance purposes in case all your property is destroyed by the flames. You'll also want to preserve valuable items such as birth certificates and passports in a strong box, and you can create digital copies and upload them to a cloud drive for added measure.What to Think about to Lessen Home Fire Dangers
Although some fires are out of your power, here are some procedures you need to take to avoid a home fire:- Smoking: Cigars and cigarettes are severe threats for fire, and smoking outside is the best way to avoid a home fire. When you smoke inside, see that you have ashtrays with deep walls and that under any situation you don't smoke in bed or while you're drowsy. In addition, not under any situation should you smoke inside when someone in the home is using oxygen since this is very explosive.
- Children: Children are inquisitive and fire is appealing for them, so educate your kids that fire is not something to play with. In addition, store your matches and lighters in a secure spot that's out of reach and out of sight.
- Fireplaces: Having a suitable screen for your fireplace is integral for the safety of your property and everyone in it. Ensure that it is durable enough to stop logs that roll and flares. You also need to clean and maintain your fireplace consistently to remove the immensely combustible creosote that builds up.
- Portable Heaters: It's critical to relocate any combustible or flammable items at least three feet away from a portable heater. {In addition,} you will need your portable heater to have a control mechanism as well as other features for safety such as turning off when it falls over.
- Appliances and Electrical: Check the switches for your lights to see if they need to be changed out. When you touch them and they're hot, that's a sign that they're faulty. In addition, check your appliances for torn cords and broken plugs.
- Cooking: It's critical to be attentive in the kitchen and to not ignore food being cooked alone. Always have someone there to watch everything going on.