Your Family Should Prepare for Fires Together | SERVPRO® of Madison/Goodlettsville

6/27/2019 (Permalink)

Being prepared is the best way to protect your family from a fire. Knowing the rules of fire prevention can save lives. Mistakes can happen while cooking, and that’s why being prepared is key. Protecting your kitchen fire, especially young children living in the home, by teaching about kitchen fire safety and putting safety plans into place is always a great idea.

If you can extinguish the fire before it gets out-of-hand, that would be best to limit the amount of damage in your home. Be prepared to think quickly and determine if the fire can be put out without risk of injury or endangering any of your family members. Always put safety first.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, an average of 1,450 fire deaths occur every year in homes with missing or non-functioning smoke alarm. Having smoke alarms may be the most important thing you can do to keep your family safe. Three out of five home fire deaths result from fires in properties without working smoke alarms. More than one-third (38 percent) of home fire deaths result from fires in which no smoke alarms are present. The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms.

Here are some tips for keeping your family safe.

Kitchen Appliances

Cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the United States. A fire can start from:

• food left unsupervised on a stove or in an oven or microwave 
• grease spills
• a dish towel too close to a burner
• a toaster or toaster oven flare-up 
• a coffee pot accidentally left on

Tips for using the stove:

• Always supervise kids while cooking.
• Turn all pot handles in so they can't be knocked over.
• Don't wear loose-fitting clothing that could catch fire around the stove.

Smoke Alarms

Tips for using smoke alarms:

• Install them on every level of your home and in each bedroom.
• If possible, choose alarms with a 10-year lithium battery.
• If your smoke alarm uses regular batteries, remember to replace them every year.
• Test your smoke alarms monthly, and be sure your kids are familiar with the sound of the alarm.
• Because smoke rises, smoke detectors should always be placed on ceilings or high on walls.
• If a smoke detector near the kitchen goes off while you're cooking, don't take the battery out of it — you may forget to replace it. Open the doors and windows instead.
• If you're having a new home built or remodeling an older home, you may want to consider adding a home sprinkler system. These are already found in many apartment buildings and dorms.

If you’ve been affected by a fire, know that SERVPRO® of Madison/Goodlettsville hits all the above qualifications and more. Contact us today to learn how we’re able to make it “Like it never even happened.”