How To Protect Your Home From Fires

When moving into your brand new home, it is vital to establish an understanding of your home’s fire safety protocols. This way, in the case of an emergency, you’ll know what to do. Let’s take a closer look into why having your own fire safety plan is essential:

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What Is Fire Safety?

Before we begin, it’s essential to understand what fire safety is. The direct definition of fire safety is the “Adoption of or adherence to measures intended to minimize the risk of harm from accidental fires; safety from danger or injury in the event of a fire” (Lexico, n.d.). Implementing your own fire safety measures within your household will create a safer environment, leading those who live in the home to feel safe and relaxed. According to the National Fire Protection Association, from the years 2015-2019, there were “an estimated average of 346,800 home structure fires per year” (Ahrens & Maheshwari, 2021). It was later proven that these fires resulted from “cooking, heating, electrical distribution, and lighting equipment, intentional fire setting, and smoking materials” (Ahrens & Maheshwari, 2021). This statistic affirms it is imperative to implement fire safety rules in your home. 

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Why Is Fire Safety Important At Home?

Fire Safety is essential for a vast number of reasons. One of the biggest reasons is to “protect your people – your family, friends and coworkers” (Cerasite, 2020). Ensuring the safety of “your people” should be the top priority, as there is nothing more valuable than human life. Another reason practicing fire safety is important is because your home is your life. It’s where you create memories and relive them through home videos and photographs, as well as a place that holds physical memories such as “heirloom jewelry or furniture” (Cerasite, 2020). Having a solid home fire safety plan will guarantee the safety of your loved ones and the memories you’ve created with them or the possessions you remember them by. 

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How To Create A Fire Safety Plan

As the colder months approach, the use of electrical appliances will increase. The top culprits of house fires are ovens, candles, and electrical lighting (Casey, 2018). Ovens are usually the main cause of many house fires, “More people are cooking indoors more often during cold weather,” especially with holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas that typically require a great amount of cooking (Casey, 2018). Many love to create that spooky and cozy October atmosphere for Halloween, which is where the candles come into play. Just the very act of remembering and maintaining awareness that you’ve lit a candle will assist in preventing a fire. Electrical lighting becomes more popular during these months as well, due to the fact that they are used for holiday decor.

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So, how can you create a fire safety plan perfectly suited for your home? Here are a few tips on how to properly execute your fire safety plan:

• Develop a plan

• Your first step in creating your fire safety plan is to sit down and discuss what the process will be. Include all members of your family in this conversation to guarantee that everyone is on the same page. In this plan, go over escape routes, ways to avoid the fire, and where to meet once everyone is safely out (Travelers Risk Control, n.d.). 

• Have your own fire drills

• Once you have solidified your plan, put it into action by rehearsing how it should work. This will prove especially helpful for children, as they’ll know what to do and where to go (Ready.gov, n.d.). 

• Create a backup plan

• Since fires are never planned exactly, make sure you have a backup plan. Of course, you won’t be able to tell exactly what path the fire will take, but it is important to be prepared with another plan in case one detail in the other doesn’t end up working out.

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How To Avoid Home Fires

Now that we’ve covered how to create your fire safety plan, here are some ways in which you can avoid home fires:

• Be aware of your home’s temperature

• Colder months call for increased heating needs. In fact, during the winter, “Home heating is the second leading cause of fires in [the United States]” (American Red Cross, 2020). Keeping an eye on the temperature of your thermostat and heater will provide you with the calming knowledge that your home is safe.

• Unplug items that are not currently being used

• Unplugging things in your home that are not currently being used will also assist in preventing home fires, with the added bonus of being energy efficient! The reason behind unplugging these devices is that “they can always experience a surge, or they can just overheat and cause a fire” (Kevin, 2018). Better safe than sorry!

• Remain in your kitchen while you’re cooking

• You should never leave a stove or oven while they’re being used, as this is one of the main causes of house fires as well. Remaining in your kitchen while these appliances are in use, “you’d be able to take care of the problem quickly and make sure you and your family are safe” (Kevin, 2018.).

• Put the fire in your fireplace out.

• Nothing screams cozy fall or winter like a family movie night with a lit fireplace. While this is fun at the time, ensuring the fire is completely out after you’ve used it is vital; “embers can continue to smolder and burn, and logs can continue to have flames inside of them that show up much later.” In this way, “you want to make sure you completely smother the fire and then watch for anything else that might show up later before you go to bed or leave the house” (Kevin, 2018). 

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Whether you’re moving into a new home or have lived in the same one for 20 years, fire safety is not something to be overlooked. Make sure you and your family stay safe by following fire safety protocols! 

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Sources:

15 ways to avoid a fire in your home

Home structure fires report 

Fire & ice: 6 most common causes of house fires in winter

How to create a fire evacuation plan

The importance of fire and life safety

Fire safety english definition and meaning

How to prevent fire in your home

Practice your home fire escape plan 

Photo by alex Lázaro: https://www.pexels.com/photo/orange-flames-22254/