12 Home Fire Safety Tips for Fire Prevention Week

Fire Prevention week is observed from the Sunday to Saturday week in October in which October 9th falls in between. This is to honor the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The goal of Fire Prevention week is to raise home fire safety awareness and educate people on how to keep themselves, their homes, and their families safe from fires. Here are 12 home fire safety tips to help keep you and your family safe. 

It’ important to have a smoke alarm installed on every level of your home to act as a warning for you and your family to escape if there is ever a fire. It is even recommended to have one installed in every single room where someone in the family sleeps. Connect all alarms in the house, so if one goes off, they will all go off. This way, you have a better chance of getting out of any immediate danger in time. Make sure to check your smoke alarm’s batteries monthly to ensure they are working properly. 

One of the most important home fire safety tips is to create an escape plan for your family in case of a fire. Start by drawing or printing out your home’s floor plan. Go through each room of the house and find two escape routes for each room. Make sure everyone in the household, including young children, understand where the escape routes are. It’s also important to designate a spot outside of your home, far enough away from any danger, to regroup and meet with your family. 

If you are cooking food in the kitchen, make sure to never leave the room. Unattended cooking is one of the leading causes of home fires. Make sure to turn off the stove, or unplug any kitchen gadgets such as crockpots, toasters, or hot plates before leaving the room. 

Faulty electrical wiring and outdated appliances are another leading cause of home fires. When using electrical outlets or electrical wiring be cautious of frayed wiring, weird burning smells, smoke, buzzing sounds, and warmth or heat coming off them. 

Every house should have a fire extinguisher on each level of their home including the basement or garage. It’s also important to have an extra one designated just for the kitchen in case of a cooking fire. Read the directions carefully and understand how to use one, so when the time comes you are prepared. 

During the colder months, many people use fire places or space heaters in their home. If you do, please remember to keep them at least 3 feet away from all objects that could potentially burn. Only keep on space heaters for small increments, and always remember to unplug them when leaving the room or going to sleep. Also, make sure that fires are watched carefully and put out before leaving the room or going to sleep as well.

Everyone in your home should be educated on home fire safety. Whether it’s knowing your family’s fire escape plan, or knowing how to stop, drop, and roll, it’s important that everyone is prepared. For young children, it may be a good idea to introduce them to some local firefighters to have them learn about home fire safety from them as well. 

Children are very curious creatures, which means they are more likely to play with things they shouldn’t. It’s important to keep any flammable objects out of their reach. This includes candles, matches, lighters, and any other hazardous materials.  

If you have any smokers in the house, or if you have guests over that smoke, designate an area outdoors for them. Do not allow smoking inside of the house. A leading cause of home fires is accidental by ash from a cigarette. Ashing incorrectly or falling asleep with a lit cigarette can lead to a dangerous fire. 

Candles can make your home smell great, but they can also be dangerous when left unattended.  Make sure to keep candles out of reach of children or pets, and to always blow them out before leaving the room. 

If you want to take extra precautions for fire prevention in your home, installing a sprinkler system in your home is a great idea. Sprinklers can help contain fires and even help to put them out quickly and reduce property damage and safety risks. 

To reduce malfunctions with your heating system, have it checked yearly by a qualified professional. This will ensure that they are working properly and help to keep your family and your home safe. 

It’s important to clean out the lint filter from your dryer after each use to prevent build up that could cause a fire. It’s recommended that every three months you conduct an even deeper cleaning of the dryer vent. Unplug your dryer, remove the filter, and use a vacuum hose to clean around the filter compartment to make sure you remove any buildup of lint.