Fire Safety & Prevention

October is Fire Prevention Month, and when it comes to fire safety, you can never be too prepared. Here’s some easy tips to follow to keep your household ready for the unexpected.

Prevention & Preparedness

The best first step you can take for fire safety is to install and maintain smoke alarms. These could be life saving in the event of a home fire. Here’s some great rules to keep in mind when it comes to your smoke alarms:

• Test the batteries monthly, and replace them at least once a year.

• Never disable the smoke alarms when cooking. This could be a deadly mistake.

• Consider installing an automatic fire sprinkler system, along with smoke alarms.

Some other great tips beyond smoke alarms are:

• Always sleep with your door closed.

• Make digital copies of valuable documents and records like birth certificates.

• Have your chimneys or wood burning fire places cleaned and inspected once per year, and only burn dry seasoned wood.

  
  

Having a Plan

Making a plan for your household can be a great step in saving lives. Start with these tips:

• Know at least two ways out of every room

• Have an outside meeting place, like a stop sign down the road, for all members of the household to meet up should you have to evacuate.

• Practice your drill twice a year, in the daytime and at night. Use different ways out each time.

• Teach children how to escape on their own should an adult not be able to help them.

• Close doors behind you as you leave.

Lastly, know what to do if you’re alarm sounds:

• If your smoke alarm sounds, get out and stay out, never go back inside for people or pets.

• If you have to escape through smoke, get low and go under the smoke to your way out.

• Call the fire department from outside your home.

Which fire safety tips are you going to add to your emergency plan?

Sources: Werner Restoration Inc. and ServiceMaster Restore