Tips for Preventing Fires at Home

Preventing Fires at Home

Whether you’re relaxing by the fireplace or cooking in your kitchen, consider these tips that can help prevent fires in your home.

Test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms regularly.

Make sure you have a smoke alarm in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of your home, including the basement. Ideally, you should have interconnected alarms that will all go off if one detects smoke. Test them at least once a month.

Stay in the kitchen when you’re cooking.

Kitchen fires can start at a moment’s notice, whether you’re frying, boiling, grilling, broiling, or toasting. So, it’s smart to stay in the kitchen while cooking and keep a close eye on the food. Also, use a timer to remind you when it’s time to take the food out of the oven.

Properly dispose of fireplace ashes.

Allow the ashes to cool for 12-24 hours, place them in a metal bucket, and move the bucket outside until there are no more hot spots. Get your chimney inspected and cleaned before the holidays.

Keep flammable items three feet away from heating equipment.

Furniture, throw pillows, blankets, and rugs should be kept away from furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves, and portable space heaters. Turn off portable heaters when you leave the room.

Install fire sprinklers in your home.

Equipping your home with a fire sprinkler system can decrease the risk of dying in a home fire by about 80 percent. Plus, installing a home sprinkler system may lower your homeowner’s insurance.

Burn candles in sturdy, fireproof containers.

Make sure the containers can’t tip over, and always extinguish candles before going to bed or leaving a room.

Check your electrical cords.

Keep electric cords out from under rugs and ensure they’re not frayed or damaged. If they are, replace them immediately.

Clean up your yard.

Yard fires can happen anytime, so it’s essential to keep your yard free of dried debris, such as brush, weeds, vegetation, dead trees, and shrubs. Clear your property with appropriate power equipment, and avoid doing so during the heat of a dry day when sparks from a lawnmower or weed wacker hitting a rock can start a fire.

By taking small precautions and following these tips, you can help prevent fires in your home and keep your family safe. Remember, it’s always better to be proactive when it comes to home safety.

Questions? We Can Help You.

At Murray Law Group, we want to help make sure you are protected not only from your insurance company but those that try to take advantage of you when you have a claim. If you have any questions about your claim or the rebuilding process and your mortgage company, schedule a free consultation today. Our job is to make sure the insurance company does its job.