In the Situation of a Fire – Plan Ahead and Prepare
As far as catastrophic accidents go there aren’t many events as devastating as a fire that destroys your property and belongings. A fire in your home is a frightening and an emotionally draining situation, whether it destroys everything or not. But there are specific measures you can take to lessen the odds of a fire from occurring in your home. The fire damage repair team at Paul Davis understands the serious condition of home fires and that’s why it’s vital to know how to plan and prepare your house and what to do when a fire happens.
Have Fire Escape Strategy at All Times in Position
When it comes to house fires, some of them aren’t can be in control and can’t be prevented. That’s why it’s necessary to have safety strategies ready. Fire extinguishers and smoke alarms are necessary, and make sure you have the right number to suit your property. But you should think about using smoke alarms that can detect smoke from fires produced by electricity, since faulty wiring is one of the main causes of home fires. If you have children, you’ll want to teach them on what the smoke alarm sounds like and what to do when in the case where one goes off.
Then have your fire escape routes ready. Every member in the home needs to know two ways to get out from every room and where to relocate outside when a fire happens. Also, make sure that all members of the household know how to call 911 in the case of an emergency.
Another thing you need to do is protect your valuable items like photographs, birth certificates and passports. You could create digital copies and store them into a cloud drive as a backup, and you can get a strong box to keep the hard copies secure too. Finally, take inventory of all your personal possessions for insurance reasons in case they’re engulfed by the flames.
What to Think about to Lessen Home Fire Dangers
Though some fires are out of your power, there are some safety measures you need to implement to prevent a home fire:
- Cooking: The kitchen is one of the most common places for a fire to occur. It’s important to be aware of what’s on the stove or in the oven, and when you have to leave, have somebody watch over it until you return.
- Appliances and Electrical: Perform a habitual check on your electrical appliances and make sure the plugs and cords are in good condition. If switches for your lights are hot to the touch, then you need to switch them out.
- Portable Heaters: It is essential to keep any combustible or flammable items at least three feet away from a space heater. You’ll also want your heater to have a control mechanism as well as other safety features such as shutting off when the heater falls over.
- Fireplaces: Creosote is very flammable and it develops in your fireplace after it’s been used, so always get your fireplace cleaned and maintained regularly. Getting a large, durable screen is also vital to prevent sparks from flying into the room and log rollovers.
- Children: Store any lighters or matches in an area that is out of sight and out of reach from children to prevent their curiosity from lighting a fire. Teach your children that fire is not something to play with too.
- Smoking: Cigarettes and cigars are serious perils for fire, and taking your smoking outside is the perfect approach to prevent a home fire. If you smoke indoors, make sure you have deep ashtrays and that you never smoke in bed or while you’re drowsy. Also, not under any circumstance should you smoke indoors when someone in the home is on oxygen since this is highly explosive.
Reach Out to the Fire Damage Repair Professionals from Paul Davis
Immediately contact the professional fire damage repair team from Paul Davis if your property has had a fire. Our professional technicians can restore any fire damage and have your home back in a habitable condition. For a franchise near you, contact us at 888-473-7669.