Prepare & Plan for a House Fire - Advice from Fire Damage Restoration Experts
The fire damage restoration experts at Paul Davis understand how severe house fires can be. Not only can house fires destroy your home and personal possessions, but they are emotionally unsettling and make you feel unsafe. Fires can happen in a matter of minutes and can be produced by a number of variables, and they can be out of your control such as your neighbor's house being on fire or natural disasters. However, there are some steps you can take to decrease the risk of a house fire in your home.Design and Implement an Emergency Plan
Not all house fires are preventable and there's only so much you can do. That's why the most vital thing for you to do is have safety plans in place. Fire extinguishers and smoke alarms are fundamental, and always check that you have the correct number to accommodate your residence. However, you should consider installing smoke alarms that can catch smoke from electrical fires, since damaged wiring can be a cause of house fires. If you have kids, you'll want to teach them on what the smoke alarm sounds like and what to do when one goes off. Come up with plans for emergency fire routes and ensure everybody is mindful of them. Always have two exits from all rooms in the residence. Also, you'll want to have a planned meeting spot outside of the residence so that you're sure everybody gets out safely. Another thing you need to do is secure your important things such as birth certificates, passports and photographs. You can make digital copies and store them into a cloud drive for safe keeping, and you can purchase a strong box to keep the hard copies safe as well. Finally, take inventory of all your personal possessions for insurance reasons in case they're consumed by the flames.To Minimize the Hazards of a Fire in Your Residence Perform These Precautions
Even though some fires are uncontrollable, here are some safety measures you need to take to avoid a house fire:- Portable Heaters: Not under any circumstance should you allow a space heater neglected, and keep flammable or combustible items three feet away from it. It's also imperative for your space heater to contain the proper features for safety. For example, it shutting off when it falls over.
- Appliances and Electrical: Check the switches for your lights to see if they need to be replaced. If you touch them and they're hot, that's a sign that they're damaged. Another thing you need to do is examine your electrical appliances for worn out cords and defective plugs.
- Children: Keep any lighters or matches in a location that is out of reach and out of sight from kids to avoid their inquisitive nature from lighting a fire. Teach your kids that fire is not a toy as well.
- Cooking: It's important to be aware in the kitchen and to not ignore cooking food unattended. Without exception have somebody there to watch what's going on.
- Smoking: Outdoor smoking is the finest approach to avert a house fire from happening. Don't smoke inside if someone in the property is on oxygen since oxygen is very combustible. If you smoke inside, don't smoke in bed and while lethargic and have ashtrays that are deep.
- Fireplaces: Creosote is extremely flammable and it builds up in your fireplace after it's been used, so make sure to get your fireplace cleaned regularly. Getting a big, strong screen is also necessary to avoid sparks from entering the room and rolling logs.