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Blog Post
Winter Fire-Prevention Tips
Ryker Bingham | Dec 30, 2019
It can be comforting to know that your homeowners’ insurance and your local fire damage restoration company
can work together to help you get back into your home if you were to suffer a house fire. Ideally, however, you will never be affected by such a traumatic and life-altering experience. House fires occur more frequently in the winter than during any other season, so it makes sense to learn how you can prevent a fire from occurring. Read on for some potentially life-saving tips on preventing house fires this winter.
Remove Your Christmas Tree
If you have a real Christmas tree, be mindful of how long you keep it. Many people keep it up until after January 6, but if yours is getting dried out and starting to drop needles, it is time for it to go. Christmas trees are responsible for some of the early January house fires each year. The lights on the trees heat up, and a dead, dried-out tree is extremely flammable.
If you aren’t ready to bid your tree adieu, be sure to keep it watered and don’t leave it unattended with the lights on. You should not have it situated near a heat source (such as radiators or your fireplace).
Don’t Overload Your Circuits
Electrical fires are the most common types, and this time of year, you might be plugging in extra appliances. You may need to cook for a crowd, which means you may have an extension cord running into the kitchen to power extra slow-cookers, pressure-cookers, and fryers. You might also be using extra space heaters in chilly rooms. Be aware of how much electricity you are asking your circuits to provide. If you trip a circuit, eliminate one or more appliances from that one before switching it back on.
Another hint to keep in mind is to watch where your extension cords are going. Don’t slide them under area rugs to keep them out of the way; this is a fire hazard. Also, be sure that they aren’t placed where someone could trip on them.
Clean Your Lint Trap in the Laundry Room
You might be used to hanging out your laundry during the warmer months, but this is often impossible during the winter. Of all of your appliances, the clothes dryer comes second only to the stove when it comes to the risk of fire. Why? It’s not the dryer itself; it’s the flammable dryer lint that accumulates.
Clean out the lint trap after every dryer load. You should also pull the dryer away from the wall and clean out the exhaust pipe periodically. If your dryer is vented through your roof, have a professional come every six months to clean out the entire vent. You might be surprised by how much lint can accumulate.
One other safety tip when it comes to your dryer is to only use it when an adult is home and awake. Don’t set it to dry overnight or when you aren’t home.
Get Your Chimney Inspected and Cleaned
Ideally, you will already have had your chimney inspected at the beginning of the season. If not, get it done now. Your chimney should be checked at the end of each summer and cleaned at the end of each winter season to keep it free of soot, leaves, and other debris. This foreign material can catch on fire and cause extreme damage to your home as well as put your family at risk.
Leave Space Around Your Space Heaters
It’s not uncommon to use space heaters in the home during the winter months. They might save you money if your heating fuel is expensive and they are good to use to take the chill out of the air in rooms that don’t get enough heat for whatever reason. They are also a reason that many house fires start.
Don’t place space heaters next to curtains or other materials that could ignite. Make sure that the one you are using has a safety feature that will turn it off if it gets knocked over. Do not choose one with open flames for indoor use. And be careful about where the cord is; you don’t want anyone to trip over it. Also, don’t use space heaters overnight or when nobody is home. By keeping these rules in mind, you can use space heaters safely.
Keep Fire Extinguishers in the Home
Your kitchen and garage are the two rooms in your home that are most likely to become the source of a house fire. Keep a fire extinguisher in each of these areas so that if a small fire does occur, you can quickly put it out and minimize damage.
It is important to know when to use a fire extinguisher and when to exit your house and let the professionals handle it. The City of Southlake, Texas, has an informative page
up on their website for you to check out. In general, if the fire is very small, if you know how to use your fire extinguisher, if everyone else in your house is able to get out, and if the fire is not between you and your only escape route, you might try using the extinguisher. Otherwise, you will want to get everyone out to safety and call the fire department.
Maintain Your Smoke Detectors
Finally, be sure that your smoke detectors are well-maintained. This means making sure they are working (usually you push a button to test them, and this can be done monthly) and ensuring that they have fresh batteries. A good rule of thumb is to replace the batteries each time you put the clocks ahead or behind for daylight savings time. If one starts chirping, change it as soon as possible. Hardwired smoke detectors are the best, but it is still necessary to keep the batteries fresh in case the power goes out.
If the worst happens and you are affected by a house fire, contact Standard Restoration
if you are in the Boise area. We will help you work with your insurance company and get your house back to its original condition so you can get back to your home and your life as soon as possible.