Most of us live a relatively calm life free from emergency and drama. In fact, the vast majority of people only see emergency situation on the news and maybe a car accident on occasion. While watching these situations, people often ask themselves "Could that happen to me?" and "How would I have reacted - would I have done the right thing?" But that is about as far as it goes. The news ends and the domestic routine takes over again without any preventative action being taken.
That why I encourage you to take action right after reading this article. A few minutes spent looking around your house and talking with your children can prevent you from being the lead story on the evening news because your house is burning down.
Fire safety is really very basic, uncomplicated stuff. Get ready to poke around your house and make it safer!
First, inspect and think about your appliances. Are they in good condition or are there frayed cords or loose electrical components? Do they get really hot, spark or smell like something is burning while being used. Get them repaired or buy a replacement as appropriate.
Second, make sure that beds and fabric are not near or touching electric baseboard heaters if your home has them. This can lead to excessive heat build ultimately resulting in a fire.
Third, be careful when using power strips or similar outlet expansion devices. Plugging too many appliances into on outlet is a common way that house fires start. Reroute the devices to other outlets or have new outlets installed if there are not alternative outlets available. Also, don't simply use extension cords as "permanent" wiring. I have seen cords routed through walls to act as an additional outlet. This is dangerous as extension cords are not designed for this type of usage.
Fourth, replace any standard outlet in the kitchen or bathroom with ground fault outlets. These are much safer in moist environments than a standard outlet and can prevent shocks as well as fires.
Finally, check to make sure the light bulbs in your lamps are not a larger wattage than recommended. This is a another common cause of household fires.
Taking these easy steps and correcting any deficiencies will go a long way toward keeping your home safe. Start your inspection right now while you are thinking about it! Don't delay - your life may depend on it.
For more information on fire safety please visit www.BrothersFire.com.
Article independently authored by Eric Parish. The content herein may or may not reflect the views and opinions of Brothers Fire.
Brothers Fire Protection offers commercial fire suppression & alarm system installation & inspection for Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North & South Dakota.
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