10 Ways To Prevent House Fires

It’s late on a Friday night and the Taylor family are driving home from a night on the town when they hear sirens. Mr. Taylor pulls over to the side of the road for emergency vehicles to pass, but when they do, they turn right into his neighborhood. It’s then that the Taylors notice the smoke billowing from their very own cul-de-sac. Horror sets in, and the possibility that their house is burning down nearly petrifies the family as Mr. Taylor rushes to their home to investigate the fire damage. Luckily, when they arrived, they found that only a small portion of the home was damaged by the fire and that most of the home was still safe. The Taylors called their local fire restoration company and the worst of the damage was cleaned up and taken care of with little hassle. Still, the Taylors were hungry for answers and readily awaited to discover how the fire had started. They were shocked to find that the fire could have been prevented with just one simple unplugging of a lamp. Disaster is always accompanied by two things: devastation, and questions. Some of the most frequently asked questions are, “How did this happen?” Or “How could I have prevented this?” Rather than having to ask these questions after the fire damage has been done, it’s good to know just exactly how to prevent a fire in your home before it’s too late. Here are ten easy ways you can keep your home safe from fire damage.

UNPLUG

Many people leave their appliances plugged in while they run errands without giving their toaster a second thought. However, leaving things plugged in such as toasters, straighteners, lamps, candle warmers, chargers, or power cords can lead to disaster. If a wire is faulty, it may cause sparks that could light a house fire.

KEEP YOUR DRYER AND APPLIANCES MAINTAINED

If you don’t frequently keep your dryer lint-free, you should start now. Excessive lint can block air-flow, and cause heat build-up that could lead to a fire in your laundry room.

INSTALL SMOKE DETECTORS

Smoke detectors can alert your household of a fire BEFORE it consumes your entire home. Install smoke detectors and always make sure they have good batteries so that if a fire starts in the middle of the night, you will be alerted and able to handle the situation before it gets out of hand.

INSTALL FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

There are many ways to put out different types of fires, but the best way to manage a small house fire is to have a fire extinguisher at the ready and know how to use it. Keep it in a place where it is easy to access in a hurry and near a fire-prone area, such as the kitchen.

PLAY IT SAFE WITH LIGHTING

Decorative lamps are pretty and fun to look at until the bulb inside has gotten too hot and causes a fire on your desk. Make sure your lamp shades aren’t getting too hot, and always check the wattage on your lamp base to be sure you don’t use a bulb with too many watts.

PRACTICE SAFE COOKING

Never leave your stove or oven on and unattended, especially if you are cooking food. Cooking accidents are one of the leading causes of house fires. Use timers to keep your food from burning or overcooking, and move anything flammable such as hot pads, rags, certain utensils, food packaging, etc. away from heat sources. In addition, know what can and cannot go in your microwave. Never try to put anything metal inside, and always watch your food as it cooks to ensure it won’t catch fire.

EDUCATE YOUR CHILDREN

Teach your children to never play with candles or matches, and how to practice fire safety. Each year, at least 100,000 fires are started by children five years old and under. Keep lighters, matches, and other flammable objects out of their reach.

BE CANDLE-AWARE

Never leave a burning candle unattended. Keep them out of reach of children or animals that might knock them over, and keep them away from anything that might catch fire, such as curtains or decorations.

WATCH YOUR WIRING

Faulty wiring can cause fires within the frame of your home and may come as a thief in the night. To prevent your wiring from causing fire damage, always have a professional electrician handle all your wiring needs, and replace damaged cords, wires, and outlets.

KNOW YOUR RESTORATION COMPANY

Be sure to know who to call in case of disaster. If you live in the Magnolia area, you can call Total Restoration at 936-209-5081 at any time of day or night to help clean up your fire damage.

10 Ways To Prevent House Fires

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