It’s important for everyone to have a basic fire safety plan for their home, and to be aware of and prepared for any potential fire risks they face. If a fire starts somewhere in your home, you may only have minutes to escape, so it’s important you get as much warning as possible and know your routes out of the house.
Here are a few tips for home fire safety for you to consider. Contact a home fire prevention company in Dalton, GA for help with preparing your property.
Install smoke alarms on each floor
There should be at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home, and possibly more, depending on your home’s layout. Place these alarms inside bedrooms or just outside sleeping areas, and/or in areas that are centrally located on each floor. Make sure the location you’ve chosen for your smoke alarm isn’t too obstructed.
Test your smoke alarms monthly
It’s not enough to just have smoke alarms on each floor—you also need to make sure they’re working properly. Part of a good fire preparedness plan is testing your smoke alarms once a month on average to make sure they’re in good working condition. If the smoke alarm isn’t working, change its batteries and test again to make sure you’re good to go.
There are some types of smoke alarms that do not have changeable batteries, and instead feature a built-in battery pack with a long lifespan that may last for years. You should still test these batteries on a regular basis. The difference is that once the battery dies, you’ll need to replace the smoke alarm altogether. But again, you should be able to get quite a few years of life out of these alarms before needing to make a replacement.
Develop and practice a fire escape plan
Fire departments strongly recommend you have a fire escape plan that you discuss and then practice with your family once or twice a year. You should have multiple routes out of your house, and a plan for how you’ll escape if trapped in certain locations within the home. Be sure to practice escape methods such as staying low to the floor to avoid smoke inhalation, or using the back of your hand to check the heat on doors to make sure it’s safe to proceed.
Sleep with doors closed
It’s much safer to sleep with doors closed. In the event of a fire, this will slow its spread into sleeping areas. You’ll need to account for this in your fire escape plans.
If a fire occurs
If you have a fire happen in your home, it’s important you follow the fire escape plan you’ve created. Get out of your house and stay out until you’ve called for help and firefighters tell you it’s safe to re-enter your home. Do not go back inside for anything or anyone—let the trained professionals handle it.
A fire protection company in Dalton, GA can help ensure your home is safe and prepared in the event of a fire. For more information about home fire safety and developing a fire escape plan, contact Carpet Capital Fire Protection Inc. today.