Tips to Prevent Home Fires

1/28/2016 (Permalink)

Use these tips to help prevent house fires

According to U.S. News, “Each year, roughly 3,400 people are killed in home fires or by burn injuries, making them the third-most-common cause of accidental deaths at home”. They have provided five tips that can help to prevent home fires.

Fire Threat: Cooking

· Stand by your pan! Don’t walk away while the stove or cooktop is on. This can lead to a fire very quickly.

Fire Threat: Heating

· A space heater needs 3 feet of clear space all around it in all directions, keeping it away from draperies, furniture, bedspreads, people, and pets .

· Chimneys should be inspected and cleaned before each heating season begins.

Fire Threat: Smoking

· Take it outside. There are usually less combustible items outside than there are inside.

Fire Threat: Electrical

· Check all of your electrical cords to ensure that they are in good shape, and  replace any that are worn out. In addition, make sure you are not overloading circuits and that one receptacle has one plug.

Fire Threat: Candles

· Consider going to battery-operated candles. They are fake but they are so much safer! It’s easy to forget to put out a candle when leaving a room.

Reference: Mullins (U.S. News) Top 5 Tips to Prevent House Fires. http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/real-estate/articles/2008/09/25/top-5-simple-ways-to-prevent-home-fires?page=2