Fire-Ready.com Is Your Resource For
Home Fire Safety Products, Tips and Planning.
Are you currently doing all you can to prepare your home and family in the event of
a house fire? Unfortunately most people are not fully equipped to deal with these all to common
disasters.
House fires occur at the rate of 350,000 to
400,000 a year killing 3,400 Americans and injuring an additional 18,000 more. While these numbers are
staggering, the truth is that a large majority of these deaths & injuries could have been avoided with the
right tools and plan.
What Causes
House Fires?
According to the National Fire Protection
Association, 40 percent of all house fires are cooking
related. It's all to easy to accidentally leave a burner on or run
out of the house forgetting about that casserole in the oven. Besides cooking, here are 9 other common causes of
house fires.
-
Smoking
-
Candles
-
Kids playing with fire
-
Heating (space heaters, neglected
furnaces)
-
Electrical problems (over use of electrical
outlets)
-
Wood stoves & fireplaces (not
regularly cleaning and servicing)
-
Flammables in the house or garage (fuels, oils,
paints, etc)
-
Dryers (not clearing lint and improper
venting)
-
Christmas trees
As you can see, house fires
happen because of daily activities
or things that we all use. While most of these activities
and things seem safe, it only takes one mistake or a little
bit of negligence for a fire to occur.
Home Fire Safety Products That Every Person Should Own
Not having the proper fire safety equipment can
put you at a huge disadvantage when it comes to preventing and dealing with fires. Here is a list of four crucial
fire safety products that every responsible person should have in their home.
Smoke
Alarms - Having working smoke alarms placed throughout
your home can double your chances of survival in a fire situation.(Click here for smoke alarm information &
recommendations.)
Fire
Extinguishers - Understanding how to select and use
the proper fire extinguisher for your home can be a life and property saving tool. (Click here for fire extinguisher information & recommendations.)
Fire Escape
Ladders - Many of today's homes are 2 to 3 stories tall with
bedrooms on the upper levels.
Having strategically placed fire escape ladders can provide a safe exit in the
event of an out of control fire.(Click
here for fire escape ladder information & recommendations.)
A Fireproof
Safe - In the event of a house fire, chances are you won't have
time to grab your things. While it's impossible to protect everything within
your home, having a fireproof safe can protect your most valuable possessions
from being destroyed.(Click here for
fireproof safe information & recommendations.)
Putting Together Your Home
Fire Safety Plan
Of course, having all the proper safety products won't do you or your family any good if
you don't know where they are or how to use them. This is why it's important for everyone in your
household to be involved in putting together a home fire safety plan. A proper home fire safety plan should include prevention, preparation, practice & maintenance.
Prevention - Having a monthly
conversation and safety inspection of your home is an easy way to prevent house fires. Here
are some things you and your family should pay attention to.
-
Keep matches and lighters away from
children.
-
If you use space heaters, keep them where they will
not tip over easily. They should also never be within 3 feet from things that could catch
fire.
-
Always check stoves and BBQ's after you are done
cooking.
-
Don't leave your cooking
unattended.
-
Don't overload electrical sockets.
-
If you smoke, don't leave cigarettes or
ashes unattended and don't smoke in bed.
-
Check for worn wires on your electronics, computers
and lamps.
-
Be aware of were you place your clothes, towels,
blankets and other items. Never put them next to heaters or stove burners.
-
If you have a wood stove or fireplace, have the
chimney cleaned and inspected on a yearly basis.
Preparation - Preparing for an emergency
should be the next step in your home fire safety plan. Make sure you've acquire all the necessary
fire safety products including smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, fire escape ladders and fireproof
safes.
After you obtain your fire safety products, you
then need to place them throughout your home accordingly. Here is where your safety products should
be placed.
-
Fireproof
safe - Although placement of your fireproof safe isn't a big deal, its important that
you get all your important things in the safe. These items include insurance policies, birth
certificates, passports, digital copies of family photos, safe deposit box keys, contracts, social
security cards, wills, spare keys to vehicles, vehicle titles, investment papers, cash, jewelry, coins,
etc.
After placing your safety products, you should
then sit down with your family and draw up a map or fire escape plan that outlines where everything is located
as well as possible exits from each room. You should also set up a meeting place outside of your home where
everyone will meet incase of an emergency.
Practice - The next piece of your home fire safety plan is to practice on a
regular basis. Besides running family fire escape drills, each capable member of your family should also have
practice using fire extinguishers and fire escape ladders.
Maintenance - The final step in your home fire safety plan is to keep your fire
safety equipment well maintained. Maintenance should include keeping tabs on fire extinguisher expiration dates,
testing and changing smoke alarm batteries, plus conducting inspections on your fire escape
ladders.
Is Your Home & Family
Prepared?
Chances are that you
don't currently have all of your home fire safety products or planning done. With so many
brands and models of to choose from though, finding the best fire safety products for your home can be
a confusing task.
Don't worry because we've got you covered! By
using the information guides below you can have your entire house fire
ready within the next 48 to 72 hours.
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