The Importance of Preparing for House Fires – What to Plan & Prepare

As far as calamitous emergencies go there aren’t many situations as staggering as a fire that destroys your house and personal possessions. A fire in your home is a distressing and an intensely draining event, whether it consumes everything or not. But there are certain precautions you can implement to decrease the likelihood of a fire from occurring in your residence. The fire damage repair team at Paul Davis understands the serious condition of house fires and that’s why it’s crucial to know how to prepare your home and what to do when a fire happens.

The Gravity of Fire Escape Strategies

One of the more crucial things you can do to prepare for a house fire is to have safety rules in place. Since not all fires are avoidable, being safe is fundamental. Every residence needs the proper amount of smoke alarms and fire extinguishers located around the property. Additionally, you should think about purchasing smoke alarms that trigger from smoke that is generated by electrical fires since faulty wiring is one of the primary culprits of house fires. Kids in the house should be taught how a smoke alarm sounds when it goes off and what to do when this happens.

Next, get your fire escape routes in order. Every member in the home should know two ways to get out from every room and where to meet outside when a fire happens. Also, make sure that everyone knows how to call 911 in the situation of an emergency.

Another thing you should do is secure your important items like birth certificates, passports and photographs. You could make digital copies and store them into cloud storage for safe keeping, and you can get a fire safe box to keep the real copies secure as well. Finally, make a record of all your personal belongings for insurance purposes in the event they’re consumed by the flames.

To Minimize the Risks of House Fires Take These Measures

Despite the fact that some fires are out of your control, here are some safety measures you should take to avoid a house fire:

  • Cooking: Remain in the kitchen at all times during the time food is on the stove or in the oven and don’t leave it unattended. If you need to step out of the kitchen, get someone to keep an eye on the food until you come back.
  • Appliances and Electrical: Examine your light switches to see if they need to be replaced. If they’re hot to the touch, that’s a clue that they’re damaged. Another thing you need to do is examine your electrical appliances for frayed cords and defective plugs.
  • Portable Heaters: Not under any condition should you allow a portable space heater alone, and keep flammable items three feet away from it. It’s also essential for your space heater to contain the proper safety features. For example, it turning off when it falls over.
  • Fireplaces: It’s crucial to clean consistently and examine your fireplace and chimney for creosote and other damage. Get a screen for your fireplace that is strong and large enough to catch sparks and prevent logs from rolling.
  • Children: Store any lighters or matches in an area that is out of reach and out of sight from kids to avoid their inquisitive nature from lighting a fire. Explain to your kids that fire is not a toy as well.
  • Smoking: Cigars and cigarettes are serious threats for fire, and smoking outside is the best method to avoid a house fire. If you smoke inside, make sure you have ashtrays with deep walls and that under any situation you don’t smoke in bed or while you’re lethargic. In addition, not under any situation should you smoke inside if someone in the house is using oxygen since this is extremely combustible.

Contact the Fire Damage Restoration Experts at Paul Davis

If you experience a house fire, don’t wait to reach out to Paul Davis. Our professional team has the skills you need with fire damage repair services and we’ll have your home back to a habitable condition. Reach out to us at 888-473-7669 and a franchise near you will be prepared to help out.