Fire Safety 101
Friday, September 01, 2006
Do me a favor. You've got a long weekend coming up. Take some time and inspect your home to make sure you're ready in case of a fire emergency. It's long overdue and you know it. Protect yourself, your family, and your property.
CHECKLIST:
- Get rid of all the oily rags in your garage. Now.
- Check the lamps in your home. Find the maximum wattage rating. Make sure the light bulb does not exceed that rating. If you can't find it, take the lamp to a lighting store for recommendations.
- Look for frayed, loose, worn, or old electrical or power cords on all electronic equipment. Replace as needed.
- When you're checking your power cords -- feel each cord by hand. Is it hot? Relatively warm to the touch? Not always a good sign. It could be that the cord is overloaded or just old. If it's overloaded and continues to overheat, it could lead to wire fatigue and, then... fire.
- Can you remember when the last time was that your replaced the batteries in your smoke detector? No? Replace 'em. Pronto. Wipe down or dust the detector to keep it free from contaminates (don't use any cleaning agents or solvents on it.)
- Wait -- you don't have smoke detectors? Get thee to a home improvement store post-haste... (that means NOW!) And get a CO (carbon monoxide) detector - put it on a wall near your master bedroom, from about 1 foot off the ground to about face level to make sure it works properly. I think they also have combo CO and smoke detectors.
- Don't smoke in bed. Don't smoke on the sofa, when you're tired... Um, don't smoke period.
- Get a new fire extinguisher from any home store. Have at least one for every 500 to 600 square feet in your home. If you've already got them, check them out and make sure they'll still charged.
If you think you might want to install fire sprinklers in your home, we've got your covered! You can post your request for free right here.
Have a safe, healthy, and happy Labor Day Weekend!
