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Fires can start instantaneously and cause irreversible damage, destruction, and serious injuries within seconds. Whether you own or rent your home or apartment, you should always take the time to ensure that your residence is fireproofed and that you and your loved ones are prepared if a fire does break out.
The good news is that you can take action to enhance your family’s safety and reduce the risk of losses and injuries sustained in a fire. Here are three simple, yet effective, fireproofing tips for your home.
#1. Keep Your Kitchen Safe
The kitchen is often the center of a home where food is cooked and guests are entertained. However, it is also a common area where house fires start. The holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas, have the highest number of cooking-related fires compared to any other day of the year. Some of the most common causes of these fires include:
- Overheating oil
- Leaving pots or pans unattended
- Cluttering the cooking area with flammable objects
- Misusing equipment
By practicing safe cooking techniques, you can greatly reduce the risk of a kitchen fire all year long. These measures include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Always stand by your pan.
- Watch what you are cooking.
- Pull back long hair and roll up loose sleeves.
- Keep a pan lid or baking sheet nearby.
#2. Practice Safety with Plugs and Appliances
Electrical fires are a leading cause of home fires in the U.S. According to statistics from the U.S. Fire Administration:
- There are approximately 24,000 electrical fires per year.
- Each year between 2014 and 2016, electrical fires caused an estimated 310 deaths, 850 injuries, and $871 million in property loss.
- Residential building electrical fires resulted in over twice the dollar loss per fire than residential building non-electrical fires.
Some of the most common causes of electrical fires include faulty light fixtures, misused extension cords, space heaters, and outdated wiring. As such, it’s important to always:
- Have a professional electrician check and repair old or faulty appliances.
- Keep space heaters away from other materials and turn them off when not in use.
- Only use extension cords temporarily and never force plugs into outlets.
- Always check the maximum recommended bulb wattage on any lighting fixture.
#3. Invest in Safety Systems
Lastly, always ensure that your home is equipped with safety systems that can help prevent fires as well as put them out if they do start. Smoke detectors are an essential part of giving you and your family an early warning of fires and should be installed in every room of the home.
Remember, about 65% of fire deaths result from homes without working smoke detectors, so we cannot stress enough the importance of these devices. Other safety systems to invest in include:
- Carbon monoxide alarms
- Fire extinguishers
- Fire escape ladders
We hope that these tips help you and your family stay safe this holiday season and all year long. If you have been injured in a fire or have any questions about the services we provide at Shoop | A Professional Law Corporation or need immediate assistance with a product liability claim, we are here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Contact our firm at (866) 884-1717 to schedule your free case review today. You can also fill out our online contact form and we will be in touch with you as soon as possible.