24/7 Emergency Service
Fire Prep
8/27/2018 (Permalink)
Fire spreads quickly. If fire breaks out in your home, there is no time to gather valuables or make a phone call. In just two minutes, a fire can become life threatening. In five minutes, your home can be up in flames. Be prepared for a fire before it starts.
- Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, outside bedrooms, at the top of open stairways, and at the bottom of stairways that are closed in between two walls.
- Test smoke alarms once a month and replace batteries twice a year. Make it a habit when you reset your clocks for Daylight Saving Time.
- Replace your smoke alarms once every 10 years.
- Plan and review your home escape routes with your family. Practice getting out of each room.
- Check that windows are not nailed or painted shut. If you have security gratings or burglar bars on windows, make sure they have a fire safety opening feature and can be easily opened from the inside.
- Think about getting escape ladders if your home has more than one level.
- Teach your family to stay low to the floor (where the air is safer) when getting away from a fire.
- Put A-B-C-type fire extinguishers in your home and teach family members how to use them.
- Put heaters at least three feet away from anything that could catch fire. Be very careful when using temporary heating sources like space heaters.
- Make sure your home is insured. If you rent, consider buying renter’s insurance.