Monday, February 4, 2013

House Fire Prevention

As I was sitting here in the middle of a cold winter day it got me thinking about keeping my house safe so I do not need to spend extra time out in the elements due to something happening to my home. Going along with this thinking I want to give you some tips on how to help prevent a house fire so you can keep your house safe also.

* Do not leave the stove unattended while cooking.

* Do not use water on grease fires.
                    If you have a grease fire here is how to put it out.
       * turn off the heat, but do not move the pot (you could burn yourself if you move the  pot that is burning)
       * cover the pot with a metal lid (use a metal lid since a glass one will shatter.)
       * Pour baking soda on the fire ( this will only work on a small fire since it requires a lot of baking soda to put out a grease fire)
       * Spray the fire with a class B dry chemical fire extinguisher. ( this is as a last resort, but do it if the fire is getting out of control.)
       * Get out and call 911. (if the fire does get out of control don't try and be a hero)

* Replace or repair faulty appliances.

* Keep multi-purpose fire extinguishers available in the home.

* Avoid overloading extension cords and circuit breakers.

* Flickering light and fuses that blow often are indications of problems.

* Keep electrical cords out of high-traffic areas.

* Use a metal mesh screen on your fireplace to contain hot embers, and leave glass doors open while burning a fire.

* Have your chimney inspected and cleaned once a year.

* Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and test them regularly to make sure they are working correctly, along with changing the batteries twice a year.
       * a good time to change smoke detector batteries is when you change your clocks in the spring and fall.

*Have an evacuation plan with a designated meeting place outside the home in the event of a fire or emergency.
         * practice your evacuation plan regularly so everyone in your family knows what to do ahead of time so it will be like second nature if needed in an actual emergency.

I hope you never need this information but it is always best to be prepared.

Michelle


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