Your home is where you feel most comfortable and secure, but you might also know that in case of fire breakage, it can burn into ashes if the situation is not managed well on time. Data from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) tells the estimated average of home structure fires is 346,800 per year, killing 2,620 civilians, injuring 11,070 civilians, and damaging $7.3 billion worth of property. – source
Quite significantly, house fires should be stopped in the first place by taking appropriate measures in advance. Thus, in this post, we will discuss the best 14 tips to avoid house fires.
Keep Your Smoke Alarms Running
In house fire emergencies, smoke detectors play a crucial role in acting as the first line of defense as they can warn you about the fire in its early stage. Today’s smoke detectors are even smarter as they can send warning alerts to your smartphone, alarming you if you are away. Therefore, it is essential to keep them maintained and well-functioning to avoid house fires.
Check Your Heating System Regularly
According to the NFPA, heating equipment is one of the top reasons behind house fires in the USA. If your central heating system is faulty, do not avoid it and look for service providers for heating repair in Vancouver, WA, to prevent fire risk.
Keep Your Oven & Stove Clean
You might not have paid attention to food particles accumulating at the burner’s bottom over time as they are out of your sight. Like your oven, you should keep them clean to avoid fire risk.
Be Attentive While Cooking
Another top reason for house fires is cooking fires. Avoid leaving the kitchen while cooking or ask someone else to watch it for you. If you’re alone and need to leave the kitchen for 2-5 minutes, turn off the burner before going.
Keep Flammable Items Away From Your Pellet Stove
Avoid placing things near your pellet stove, such as wooden or plastic items. Also, as pellet stoves are highly regularized, and if you are using yours due to a faulty room heater, it will be best to get it fixed by professional service providers offering heating service in Ridgefield to avoid pollution and fire risks.
Use Electric Extensions Correctly
Or perhaps, do not misuse them. For example, avoid using electric socket extensions on another extension as it can create heat and sparks that may cause the wires to burn and take the fire further to other things.
Keep Combustible Items Out
Products like insect killer, spray paint, cleaning chemicals, paint thinner, etc., are flammable and can easily catch fire. Thus, it is advised to keep them in the backyard or storeroom outside your home.
Get Fire Extinguishers
Another cost-effective way to prevent house fires is to get fire extinguishers for your home.
Fire extinguishers help you put out a small fire. For instance – if something is burning, you can put out the fire before it takes over other nearby items, spreading across your house. If your house has multiple floors, put one on each floor, especially in high-risk areas – for instance, the kitchen and near the main power supply board.
Fix Faulty Electric Heaters
Electric heaters can also be the reason behind a house fire when they are faulty or due to their wiring issues. Hire a professional for heating repair in La Center, WA, and avoid fire risks.
Use Sturdy Candle Holders
Candles can also increase the risk of house fires if not placed in a safe place. Use solid candle holders and put them away from curtains, furniture, and any other thing that can catch fire.
Install Fire Sprinklers
You can prevent house fires by installing fire sprinklers that are connected with smoke detectors and can automatically start as soon as the latter device detects smoke caused due to a fire. These are one of the cost-effective measures you can take to avoid house fires.
Fix Wiring Issues
Be it your main power source or any wall plugs at your place. You need to make sure all the wiring connections and wires are safe against any risk of fire. If you find a wire with a cut or an indication of burning, get them fixed as soon as possible.
Avoid Smoking Indoors
Smoking is not only injurious to health but also puts your house at risk of fire if consumed inside. Especially when people are drunk, they don’t pay much attention to where they throw cigarettes. If you cannot go out to smoke, use an ashtray with good depth.
Keep Things Off When Not in Use
Cooking stove connection, television, heating equipment, computer, etc., any gas-based or electricity-run appliances or devices should be kept off if not used for long hours. It is even more important if you have kids at home. Kids’ minds are curious, and they might mistakenly increase the risk of fire while playing around.
These were the top 14 tips that can help you prevent house fires or other fire-related worst-case scenarios. If you need heating repair services to make sure your heating appliance doesn’t cause a house fire, we are the HVAC contractor in La Center, WA; you are looking for.
Learn more about our heating services in Ridgefield, WA. To discuss your requirements with expert technicians at All Around Mechanical, call us today. Dial (360) 896-2829.