Prepare & Plan for a Home Fire - Guidance from Fire Damage Restoration Experts

When it comes to burdensome scenarios, there few events as taxing than a fire that damages your house and personal property. Being a fire damage restoration company, Paul Davis knows what a significant threat house fires are. Without any signs, all it takes is a couple of minutes before flames are ignited. A fire in your house is a terrible and emotionally exhausting event, even if it destroys everything or not. Yet, you can do specific things to ensure that you are ready for when a fire occurs.

Create and Implement an Emergency Plan for Your Property

Safety has to be the first concern when prepping for a house fire, and fire extinguishers and smoke alarms should be placed throughout the house. Smoke alarms are fundamental since a fire could come out of nowhere and you have to take action as fast as possible. Another thing to consider with smoke alarms is obtaining ones that can catch smoke generated by electrical fires. Lastly, any children living in the house have to be taught about what a smoke alarm sounds like when it's triggered and what to do when it occurs. Then have your emergency program ready. Everyone in the house needs to know two ways to escape from each room and where to meet outside when a fire occurs. Additionally, ensure that all members of the household know how to call 911 in the incident of an emergency. Making a record of your personal property is an excellent idea for insurance reasons in case all your property is destroyed by the flames. Additionally, you'll want to preserve important things such as birth certificates and passports in a strong box, and you can make digital copies and upload them to a cloud drive for added measure.

To Lessen the Dangers of a Fire in Your House Perform These Measures

Though some fires are uncontrollable, there are some precautions you should take to prevent a house fire:

  • Portable Heaters: Not under any circumstance should you allow a space heater unattended, and keep flammable or combustible items three feet away from the heater. It's also imperative for your portable heater to contain the correct features for safety. For example, it turning off when it tips over.
  • Appliances and Electrical: Check the switches for your lights to see if they have to be changed out. When you touch them and they're hot, that's a sign that they're damaged. Another thing you have to do is check your electrical appliances for torn cords and broken plugs.
  • Children: Store any lighters or matches in an area that is out of sight and out of reach from children to avoid their curiosity from starting a fire. Teach your children that fire is not a toy as well.
  • Cooking: It's of the utmost importance to be observant in the kitchen and to not leave food being cooked unattended. Without exception have someone there to watch everything going on.
  • Smoking: Inside smoking makes your property susceptible to house fires, so the finest method to prevent a disaster is to smoke outdoors. When you do smoke indoors, have the proper ashtrays to prevent a cigar or cigarette from rolling onto the ground. But if someone in the house is using oxygen, do not smoke indoors because oxygen is highly combustible.
  • Fireplaces: Having a legitimate fireplace screen is necessary for the safety of your property and everyone who resides in it. Make sure it is reliable enough to catch rolling logs and flares. You also need to clean and maintain your fireplace consistently to rid the intensely flammable creosote that builds up.

Call the Fire Damage Restoration Professionals from Paul Davis

When you have a house fire, don't hesitate to reach out to Paul Davis. Our professional team has the knowledge you need with fire damage repair services and we can have your residence back to a habitable condition. Reach out to us at 888-473-7669 and a local franchise near you will be ready to help out.