4 Ways of Preventing a House Fire

A house fire can be traumatic for all those involved.  Not only is it a near-death experience that has you reeling, but it also comes with a lot of pain and financial loss, which you’re likely not ready for. House fires create more of a hassle with everything. It’s in house fires that you find that everything goes up in flames, and you’re left scrambling to control the damage.  House fires come with a lot of financial and memorable losses. Depending on the fire’s intensity and spread, you’ll probably lose a lot of money and important documents. 

To reduce some of the pain and trauma of a house fire, you’re asked to buy insurance for your home. Bad things happen all the time, and you must have some insurance for that in case that they do. However, as in many matters, you should look for prevention instead of cure to stop house fires. We have listed the many ways of preventing a house fire in the article below. 

1. Get a Smoke Detector Installed 

Most homes come with a smoke detector already. You should check if it’s working in your home. If your home doesn’t have one, you should get one installed.  A smoke detector is one of the best preventative measures against a house fire. It helps lower the risk and spread of fire damage as it will immediately go off when some smoke is detected. It won’t help to completely rid yourself of fire damage, but it’s a very helpful step. 

You should ensure that the batteries for the smoke detector are properly installed so it’s functioning. Most people keep a smoke detector in their kitchens. However, make it a practice to filter these all around the home to have proper protection against the fire.  This device enables early detection so that you can respond to the accident quickly and bring in emergency services. 

2. Check for Fire Hazards 

You likely have fire hazards all over the house. However, it would be best if you stayed on top of them. Kitchen items that you use regularly could be a major reason for the fire-related trouble you may be having.  Certain equipment like over mitts, kitchen drapes, and even pot holders can catch fire in the blink of an eye. Any dry items can catch on fire too. So you have to be careful when cooking with fire in the kitchen as there are many flammable materials which could create a problem for you. 

We’ll say this now; faulty wiring is one of the most significant reasons behind fires starting. Faulty wiring can result in electrical wires that spread quickly and completely throughout your home. These can occur because of a lack of proper management of electrical appliances in your apartment. There are certain actions you can take to prevent electrical fires:

1. Refrain from overcrowding your plug sockets.
2. Look out for frayed wires or cables.
3. Unplug the appliance when not in use.
4. Make sure that you’re appliances are working at the best capacity.
5. Be careful with where you keep space heaters. They should be away from the walls.  

If you have a fireplace, you should also check that the ashes have burned out completely. You must allow your ashes to cool for 12-24 hours before placing them in a metal bucket.  You can then move the bucket outside and check your fireplace to ensure there are no hotspots. Once you do that, you can get your chimney cleaned and inspected to ensure that it’s not creating a fire hazard.

3. Install a Fire Sprinkler System 

If you want extra help, you should get a fire sprinkler system. A sprinkler system may not seem like the most convenient idea if you’re someone who does a lot of cooking that involves smoke. However, many smart systems can help you identify when the sprinkler system needs to go off and when it doesn’t. If you have a home sprinkler system, the risk of dying decreases by 80%.  Installing a fire sprinkler system reduces your home owner’s insurance as well.

4. Kitchen Appliance Safety 

You know by now that most fires arise due to something within the house. Fires rise in the kitchen and also in electrical fixtures and appliances. Kitchen appliances are thus a point of contention whenever you’re looking into factors that start up a fire. You may consider strictly using stovetops and ovens for cooking purposes. You also have to be very careful with microwaves as small fires may arise due to faulty wiring and the heating elements in these appliances.  Leaving stoves on for a long time could even go as far as causing gas leaks which could then cause you to have an explosion in the kitchen. 

Explosion in the kitchens can happen at any time, and it could seriously hurt your family and your property at any given moment. Thus it’s pertinent to be safe. You should also ensure that you don’t have water around your kitchen appliances or exposed sockets in the kitchen. You can buy plug covers so that you don’t accidentally splash any water in the sockets as you’re cooking. 

It’s also a good practice to conduct a routine checkup on your kitchen appliances to ensure that they don’t have any faulty wiring.

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