Is your Home Prepared for a Fire this Winter?

1/25/2023 (Permalink)

Is your home equipped with these preventative items?

Often times fire is associated with the dry, hot weather that plagues the country in the summer months. During this time, we see burn bans in place for local communities, wildfires out west, and all of the accidents related to fireworks and grills. However, home fires actually occur more frequently in the winter than any other season!

One of the leading causes for US home fires and injuries are caused by heating. Heating is also the third highest cause of home fire deaths. An example of heating in the winter that leads to fires are space heaters, which accounts for one third of the fires taking place in December, January, and February. To reduce this number, plug only one heat producing appliance into an electrical outlet at a time.  Another important tip is to keep anything that can burn at least three feet from any heat source!

Another leading cause for home fires in the winter can be attributed to candles. Candle related fires peak during December, January, and February, causing one third of home decoration fires. To decrease the frequency of these fires, keep candles at least twelve inches away from anything that burns. Families should also think about using battery-operated flameless candles.  

However even with this knowledge, sometimes you cannot plan for a fire. In this case, you should make sure your family has a fire safety plan in place so that you are prepared for the unexpectant. Examples of this would include making sure you have working smoke detectors on every level of your home, with smoke detectors placed in each bedroom, and outside the sleeping areas. You should be testing these detectors at least once a month to ensure the batteries work properly as well.

You should also have a fire extinguisher in your home. A fire extinguisher can stop a small accident from turning into something bigger as fire can spread very quickly. Kitchen fires often involve grease and oil, which can’t be extinguished using water, making a fire extinguisher even more valuable. Other reasons you should have one is for fires involving cooking appliances like air fryers and stoves, smoking in your home, and electrical products like curling irons and overloaded extension cords.

Practicing fire safety encompasses all of these preventative measures, but you also need open communication with your family. Does your family know where the fire extinguisher is located in the house? Do you know when the smoke detectors were checked last? What is your exit plan in the event of a house fire? Having these discussions will ensure everyone is prepared and ready to go!

You can’t always plan for a disaster, but you can help prevent one! Here at SERVPRO, we help the community every day and we will be there for you as well. We can’t change the fact that your home was damaged by fire, but we can make it "Like it never even happened."