Four Tips to Prevent Home Fires

13Oct

Four Tips to Prevent Home Fires

On: October 13, 2017 In: family safety, Fire Safety, Homeowner's Insurance

We hope you practice fire safety and prevention all year long! But if you’re like most of us, some of these simple checks and plans might have slipped your mind. Good news though—Fire Prevention Week is from October 8-14, and it’s a great time to address potential fire risks. Over 365,000 home fires were reported in 2015 in the US alone. Let’s cut that number down. So, break out your “honey-do list” and let’s get rolling with these four fire safety tips.

Check Your Electrical Wires

This is always overlooked but absolutely critical. Really old or faulty wiring causes those scary electrical fires that pop up “out of nowhere.” Prevent unwanted sparks by hiring an electrician to come out and check your wires.

Test Your Smoke Alarms

A working fire alarm doubles your chance of surviving a fire. That’s huge. Alarms need to be tested at least twice a year; once in spring and once in fall. Replace batteries if need be, or consider getting a hard-wired alarm instead and say goodbye to battery checks forever. Smoke alarms need to be in every bedroom and on every level of the home (basement and attic included).

Do a Home Fire Drill

If your family doesn’t already have a fire escape plan, make one and review it together. Please do this twice a year to keep it fresh in everyone’s mind. Once everyone knows exactly what to do and where to meet, practice your escape and meet-up plan. It is so important to go through the motions and not just talk about what to do in the event of a fire.

Teach Your Kids About Best Practices

Call a family meeting during Fire Prevention Week to teach everyone how to use a fire extinguisher, and make sure they know where it’s located. Talk to them about the importance of paying attention since many fires are caused by carelessness (i.e. falling asleep with lit candles). Teach them not to plug more than one appliance into a double outlet if they can help it and to keep all space heaters at least three feet away from anything flammable like clothing and pillows. Show them how to check the grates that protect your fireplace.

Fires are traumatic. Even a small fire can cause immense smoke damage that requires thousands of dollars in repairs, and when it’s a big fire, families are left displaced, struggling to get back on their feet. As one of the most stable insurance companies in Florida, you can count on a Southern Oak policy when you need it the most. If you’d like to learn more about our innovative policies, our friendly team is here to help. Contact us or request a free quote today.

Get started teaching your family proper fire safety techniques with our Fire Stats & Tips Infographic, filled with information regarding home fires and how to prevent them. Click the button to get your copy!