Fire Damage Restoration Expert Advice - Planning for a House Fire
The fire damage repair professionals at Paul Davis understand how damaging house fires can be. Not only can house fires decimate your residence and personal belongings, but they are emotionally jarring and make you feel unsafe. Fires can occur in a matter of minutes and can be provoked by a number of variables, so a lot of the time they're out of your control such as natural disasters or your neighbor's house being on fire. But there are some steps you can take to lessen the dangers of a house fire in your house.Have an Emergency Strategy at All Times in Place
Safety should be the first concern when getting ready for a house fire, and smoke alarms and fire extinguishers need to be located throughout the home. Smoke alarms are essential since a fire can come out of the blue and you need to take action as quickly as possible. Something else to consider with smoke alarms is purchasing ones that can recognize smoke produced from electrical fires. Lastly, any children living in the house need to be taught about how a smoke alarm sounds when it goes off and what to do when it happens. Other precautions include outlining fire escape routes in your house. Design a strategy and make sure everyone in the house knows the fire escape routes – there should be two exits for each room in the home. It's also fundamental to have a planned meeting spot outside so you know who gets out of the house. It's also a good idea to create replicas digitally of important documents such as birth certificates, and you should think about getting a strong box to store them in. Take inventory of your personal belongings too in the event that they are burned up by the flames. Either make a list or snap some pictures or videos to document your things.Things to Be Mindful of to Minimize House Fire Risk
There are some things to keep in mind so you can minimize the risks and dangers that are typically connected with house fires:- Smoking: Inside smoking makes your home vulnerable to house fires, so the best way to prevent a disaster is to smoke outdoors. If you do smoke indoors, make sure you have suitable ashtrays to restrain a cigar or cigarette from falling onto the ground. Nevertheless, if someone in the house is using oxygen, do not smoke indoors as oxygen is extremely combustible.
- Children: Keep any lighters or matches in a place that is out of reach and out of sight from kids to avoid their curiosity from lighting a fire. Teach your kids that fire is not a toy as well.
- Fireplaces: Creosote is extremely flammable and it develops in your fireplace and chimney after it's been in use, so make sure to get your fireplace cleaned and maintained consistently. Obtaining a large, strong screen is also vital to prevent sparks from coming into the room and rolling logs.
- Portable Heaters: It's critical to place any combustible or flammable objects at least three feet away from a space heater. You'll also want your heater to have a control mechanism too and other safety features such as shutting off when it falls over.
- Appliances and Electrical: Examine the switches for your lights to see if they need to be changed out. If you touch them and they're hot, that's a clue that they're defective. Also, examine your appliances for frayed cords and defective plugs.
- Cooking: It's important to be aware in the kitchen and to not leave cooking food unattended. Without exception have someone there to watch everything going on.