The fire damage restoration experts at Paul Davis know how damaging house fires can be. Not only can house fires destroy your home and personal possessions, but they are emotionally unsettling and make you feel unsafe. Fires can happen without a moment’s notice and can be produced by a number of things, and they can be out of your control like your neighbor’s house being on fire or natural disasters. But there are still some steps you can take to minimize the risk of a house fire in your house.
Prepare Your Property for the Prospect of a Fire & Have an Emergency Plan Prepared at All Times
Safety should be the number one priority when getting ready for a house fire, and smoke alarms and fire extinguishers should be placed throughout the home. Smoke alarms are essential because a fire could come out of nowhere and you have to do something as fast as possible. Something else to consider with smoke alarms is purchasing ones that can catch smoke produced from electrical fires. Finally, any kids residing in the house have to be taught about how a smoke alarm sounds when it’s triggered and what to do when it occurs.
Other precautions consist of outlining fire escape routes in your house. Design a plan and ensure everybody in the house knows the emergency fire escape routes – there should be two exits for every room in the home. Also, it’s fundamental to have a designated meeting place outside so you know who gets out of the house.
Something else you should do is protect your important things like birth certificates, passports and photographs. You could make digital replicas and store them into a cloud drive as a backup, and you can purchase a strong box to keep the hard copies safe as well. Finally, make a record of all your personal possessions for insurance purposes in case they’re engulfed by the flames.
To Minimize the Risks of Home Fires Perform These Precautions
There are some things to recognize so you can minimize the risks and dangers that are typically associated with house fires:
- Portable Heaters: It is imperative to relocate any combustible or flammable objects at least three feet from a space heater. {Also,} you will want your heater to have a control mechanism too and other features for safety such as turning off when it falls over.
- Appliances and Electrical: Shredded cords and broken plugs could easily start a house fire, so make sure to examine your appliances routinely for any issues. Additionally, keep an eye on the switches for your lights because if they’re hot, they have to be changed.
- Children: Store any matches or lighters in a place that is out of sight and out of reach from children to avoid their curiosity from lighting a fire. Educate your children that fire is not a toy as well.
- Cooking: It’s critical to be conscientious in the kitchen and to not leave cooking food alone. Always have somebody there to keep an eye on what’s going on.
- Smoking: Smoking outside is the best way to counter a house fire from taking place. It’s very important to not smoke inside if someone in the house is on oxygen because oxygen is highly combustible. When you smoke indoors, don’t smoke while drowsy or in bed and have ashtrays that are deep.
- Fireplaces: Getting a suitable screen for your fireplace is essential for the safety of your home and everybody in it. Make sure it’s reliable enough to prevent logs that roll and flares. You also need to clean and maintain your fireplace consistently to erase the extremely flammable creosote that forms.
Call the Fire Damage Restoration Professionals at Paul Davis
Immediately reach out to the skillful fire damage restoration team at Paul Davis if your home has had a fire. Our skillful team can restore any fire damage and have your property back in a habitable condition. For a franchise near your location, reach out to us at 682-325-1611.
