How to Prevent House Fires

2/26/2020 (Permalink)

How to Prevent House Fires in Indianapolis

One of the most damaging disasters that can happen to a home is a house fire. A house fire can cause extensive damage from the fire, the smoke, and the water to put it out. After a fire, you could be dealing with fire damage, water damage, and possible mold damage. If you should suffer from a house fire, call the restoration experts at SERVPRO of Indianapolis West to quickly and effectively repair and restore your damaged home.

In today’s post, we will cover how to prevent house fires from happening in the first place. We will also go over how to prepare your home and your family in the event a fire should happen. There many things a homeowner can do to reduce the risk of a fire from happening in the first place. 

Install Smoke Alarms and Test Them Monthly

The NFPA recommends that smoke alarms be installed on every floor and inside every bedroom. To reduce false smoke alarms, you will want to make sure the smoke alarm in the kitchen area is 10 feet away from the stove and cooking appliances, like a toaster. It’s important to test all of your smoke alarms once a month to make sure they are in operating condition. 

Keep Your Dryer Vents Clean and Clear

Fires can happen very quickly from clogged or obstructed dryer vents. It’s important to clean out the lint trap after each use of the dryer. The lint from a dryer is highly combustible when exposed to the high heat of an operating dryer. You also want to check for lint or clothes that have fallen behind or beside the dryer as they can increase the risk of fire. It’s also a good practice to vacuum underneath the dryer and inside the dryer vents and ducts at least once a year. 

Create a Fire Escape Plan With Your Family and Practice It

If a fire should happen, does your family know what to do? Due to the materials a home is constructed of and the materials of the furnishings, house fires can spread much more faster than they did just a decade ago. The smoke from the fire is also much worse which is why it is important to have an escape plan and practice it on a regular basis. Ideally, you want to be able to get out of your home safely within 30-seconds. 

Keep Your Oven and Stove Top Clean 

To reduce the risk of fires, it’s important to keep your oven and cooking surfaces clean. If you have food particles at the bottom of your oven, they can at the very least cause a lot of excess smoke to trip your smoke alarms and at the very worst, they can catch on fire and risk spreading outside the oven. Clean out the bottom of your oven on a weekly basis with a vacuum and clean the entire oven every 6-months to reduce the risk of fire. The cooking top can also be susceptible to fires due to a build-up of grease and oil from cooking. You should clean the cooking surface every time you use it to keep flare-ups from occurring. You also want to make sure that you keep any flammable items away from the stovetop. This can include curtains, cooking oil, napkins, wooden cooking utensils, and dish rags to name a few. 

Ensure Family Knows Two Ways Out of Every Room

When practicing your fire escape plan, you should also make sure that every member of your household knows two ways out of every room if possible. In most instances, this would be the door and a window. If the windows are on the second floor, you could look into getting a ladder or rope to get down to the ground. Make sure everyone in your family knows to feel for heat before opening a door during a fire. If the door is really hot, then you will want to escape from the second way out if possible. 

Contact the Fire Restoration Experts at SERVPRO of Indianapolis West

You can’t completely prevent house fires from occurring. If a house fire should happen at your Indianapolis home, it’s important to get out and ensure everyone is safe at first. Once the fire is out, the cleanup process begins. For fire, smoke, water and mold damage, trust the experts at SERVPRO of Indianapolis West. They are available 24/7 to respond quickly to any emergency. They have the knowledge and tools to quickly clean up and repair the fire damage to your home. If your home should suffer fire, smoke, water and/or mold damage, give SERVPRO of Indianapolis West a call.