Fire Safety – October Tip of The Month

It’s fire prevention month! Follow our tips for fire safety so your home is as fire-proof as possible and safe for you and your family all year.

OUR TOP FIRE SAFETY TIPS

• Inspect your fire extinguisher(s) or buy some if you don’t already have them. Ideally, you should have one in your kitchen, near your furnace, and anywhere else that is potentially flammable such as the laundry area and garage (if you have one).
• Check and replace batteries in all smoke detectors.
• Also, be sure you have them in the right places: building code requires one smoke detector on each level, plus one in each bedroom, and one at the top of the stairs on the bedroom level. Click here for more details.
• If your smoke detectors are more than 10 years old, replace them. When you do replace them, purchase interconnected smoke alarms so that one when one smoke alarm is activated, they all sound.
  • If anyone in your home is hard of hearing or deaf, purchase a smoke detector that uses strobe lights or bed shakers like this one.
  • Allison swears by the Nest smoke alarm, which she recently installed in home. When the batteries are running low, Nest notifies you by email and with a smartphone notification. You can turn off a sounding alarm by phone and perhaps the best part, it does a monthly self check.
• Make sure you have carbon monoxide detectors as well.
• Schedule your chimney / fireplace inspection to ensure they are in good working order before the cold weather arrives.
• Prepare your family for a fire emergency:
  • Talk with all family members about a fire escape plan; practice the plan twice a year.
  • Teach kids how to “stop, drop, and roll.”
  • Make sure everyone knows how to call 911.
• When putting away your gas grill and lawn mower for the season, store gas tanks outside, on a flat surface, at least ten feet away from anything potentially flammable.

If we can help you with anything related to your home, please reach out. We are always happy to help with anything to help you love where you live!

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