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4 Home Fire Safety Steps To Take Now
4 Home Fire Safety Steps You Need To Take Now
By Thomas Walker @ homesafetyhub.org
House fire protection is an important consideration throughout the year, but many families don’t have a safety plan in place should a fire break out in or around their home. Not only is it essential to be prepared, it’s also crucial to take the proper precautions in keeping appliances, fireplaces, and electrical wiring in good shape in order to prevent a tragedy. When it’s time to create a safety plan for your home, take a look at the resources available at Emergencyactionplanning.com, which provides insight into navigating both natural and man-made disasters.
Here are some things to consider when creating a safety plan for your home:
Talk to your family about fire safety.
Outside of your home office, you might have several areas around the house that could use some attention when it comes to fire safety. Overloaded electrical outlets or surge protectors, battery-operated smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and kitchen appliances are a few of the most important places to start when you’re teaching your family members about fire safety. Talk about the proper way to handle any device that plugs in–including never leaving a charging device on a soft surface, such as a bed–and what to do if an alarm goes off in the house. Create a plan for evacuating the home and designate a safe spot for everyone to meet, such as beside the mailbox.
Keep the holidays safe.
It’s also important to create a safety plan for specific times of the year, such as winter months when your family might use electric or kerosene heaters. The holiday season often includes greenery and strings of electric lights, so it’s crucial to ensure that your decorations are as safe as possible. Keep live greenery from drying out, and consider using LED lights, which don’t get as hot as other kinds. Never leave lit candles unattended. Unplug all lights at night before going to bed, and make sure that all electric items have cords that are intact and uncompromised.
Have the right tools on hand
When creating a fire safety plan of any kind, you’ll want to ensure that you have the right tools on hand. Working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are essential, but it’s also important to have a fire extinguisher in any room with the potential for a fire. The kitchen, laundry area, and attic space–which contains the furnace in many homes–are a few of the most at-risk spots in a home. If your house is bigger than one story, consider keeping collapsible fire escape ladders in all of the upstairs rooms. Live in an area that’s prone to wildfires? Consider installing a sprinkler system on your roof.
Creating a fire safety plan for your home can be a life-affirming event that will give you peace of mind knowing that you and your loved ones are prepared. With a little training and the right tools, you can keep your home-based business and your family safe from a potential disaster.
Make sure your home-based business is protected.
If you run a home-based business, there are several things you’ll need to think about when creating a fire safety plan. Ensuring that you have the right insurance policy is essential, as it will offer protection of your property in the event of a fire; while it can be costly, knowing you’re well-insured will give you peace of mind. You might also consider investing in a fire-proof safe for important documents and cash, as well as backing them up digitally. Finally, if you use a computer, printer, paper shredder, or other equipment in your home office that could potentially overheat, make sure they’re given plenty of air circulation and that they’re not placed on top of flammable items, such as paperwork or carpet.
Have a question or comment for the team at Emergencyactionplanning.com? Use the contact form to get in touch.
Photo via Pexels
Till next time
“Be Safe”
Drill Santa Dan and the EAP Workshop are presenting the Holiday House Fire Safety Boot Camp on the 15th of December 2022.
This is a live online no cost event. Use the registration link below and do not wake up with coal stuffed in your stockings.
https://www.eapworkshop.com/f/house-fire-prevention-bootcamp
