Residential Fire Safety: Planning to Protect Your Family

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October is National Fire Prevention Month and a great time to brush up on fire safety tips and procedures.  Here are some things to keep in mind to protect your family and home:

Be Proactive

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Fire safety isn’t just about the right equipment, but also the right behavior and mindset. It’s important to recognize common potential fire hazards in the home and ways to mitigate danger before a fire emergency has a chance to happen.

  • Careful Cooking: never leave frying or grilling food unattended. Use a timer and check simmering food or oven dishes frequently.
  • Three Feet from heat: When utilizing a space heater or fireplace make sure there is at least three feet of empty space between the heat source and anything dry or flammable.
  • Smokeless Spaces: Avoid smoking inside the home, make sure outdoor smoking areas have a safe way to put out and discard cigarettes.
  • Cord Care: Inspect electrical cords and appliances for loose connections, fraying cords or broken plugs. Repair or replace any damaged electronics rather than risk an electrical fire.
  • Candle Caution: Keep burning candles at least one foot from anything that can catch fire and always blow out candles before leaving the room or going to sleep.
  •  Routine Maintenance: Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors monthly. 

Have A Plan

It’s impossible to guarantee that your family will never experience a fire related emergency, but you can guarantee the best odds of safety and survival for those you love by taking the time to thoughtfully and thoroughly plan how your family will react. There are great resources out there to help you implement a home fire safety plan, like those at www.ready.gov/home-fire-escape-plan

When developing your home fire safety plan make sure to:

  • Navigate two ways out from every room of your home; ideally a doorway as the primary exit but a window as a secondary exit.
  • Identify a safe outdoor location for everyone to meet at.
  • Ensure everyone knows to never re-enter the home for any reason during a fire emergency.

Practice Makes Perfect

Knowing what to do in an emergency beforehand makes it easier to react efficiently when you’re in a stressful situation. According to NFPA, only one of three households have actually created a fire safety plan. Of that, only 47% of those families with a plan have actually practiced their exit plan. After developing a fire safety plan for your family, plan to practice conducting actual drills at least twice a year. 

Dependable Systems

You work hard to keep your family safe. With remote monitoring systems, like those provided by YK Communications, you can rely on professionally installed carbon monoxide and temperature change detection to add a layer of protection for those you love. 

Want to  know more about fire safety and security systems? We’re happy to help. Give our team of specialists a call at 361-771-3334.

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