Prepare & Plan for a Home Fire - Guidance from Fire Damage Restoration Experts

When it comes to hard incidents, there aren't many events as draining than a fire that destroys your residence and personal possessions. As a fire damage restoration company, Paul Davis knows what a dangerous threat home fires are. Out of the blue, it just takes two minutes before flames are ignited. A fire in your home is a frightful and emotionally draining event, whether it damages everything or not. Yet, you can act on individual things to make sure that you are all set for when a fire occurs.

Always Have a Fire Escape Strategy in Position

Safety has to be the number one priority when preparing for a home fire, and fire extinguishers and smoke alarms need to be placed throughout the house. Smoke alarms are crucial because a fire can come out of the blue and you need to do something as quickly as possible. Something else to think about with smoke alarms is obtaining ones that can detect smoke caused from electrical fires. Finally, any children residing in the home need to be taught about what a smoke alarm sounds like when it goes off and what to do when it happens. Then get your fire escape routes ready. Every member in the house needs to know two ways to get out from every room and where to congregate outside when a fire happens. Additionally, make sure that all members of the household know how to call 911 in the situation of an emergency. Making a record of your personal belongings is an excellent idea for insurance reasons in case all your property is demolished by the flames. You'll also want to preserve valuable documents like passports and birth certificates in a fire safe box, and you can make digital replicas and upload them to a cloud drive for added measure.

Things to Think about to Lessen Home Fire Risk

Even though some fires aren't avoidable, there are some things you can do to decrease the prospect of a fire from happening in your home:

  • Portable Heaters: Establish that your heater has a control mechanism and a thermostat, and it needs to switch off if it falls over.
  • Appliances and Electrical: Perform a habitual check on your electrical appliances and ensure the plugs and cords are in good condition. Also, when switches for your lights are hot to the touch, then it's time to switch them out.
  • Children: Teach your children that fire is not a toy, and make sure to store matches and lighters in an area that's out of sight and out of reach.
  • Cooking: Remain in the area at all times while you're cooking and never leave it alone. When you need to leave the area, get someone to watch over the food until you come back.
  • Smoking: Inside smoking makes your house susceptible to home fires, so the best approach to avoid a disaster is to smoke outdoors. When you do smoke indoors, have the proper ashtrays to inhibit a cigarette or cigar from rolling onto the ground. But if someone in the residence is on oxygen, do not smoke indoors because oxygen is extremely combustible.
  • Fireplaces: Creosote is extremely combustible and it develops in your fireplace and chimney after it's been used, so make sure to get your fireplace cleaned and maintained regularly. Getting a large, sturdy screen is also fundamental to avoid sparks from flying into the room and rolling logs.

Contact the Fire Damage Restoration Technicians at Paul Davis

Home fires happen, whether it's a mishap or something out of your control, Paul Davis is here to help out. Our fire damage restoration services can restore your residence back to normal again. Reach out to us at 888-473-7669 and a franchise near your area will be there to help out.