7 Ways To Prevent House Fires

Just as we can pre­vent for­est fires, we can also pre­vent house fires. We are respon­si­ble for what goes on in our homes and it’s our duty to pre­vent our abode from going up in flames. Try these eight ways to pre­vent house fires and ensure your home remains intact.

1. 1. Check, Check, Check

Your heat­ing sys­tem needs to be ser­viced reg­u­lar­ly by a pro­fes­sion­al. Unless you know every­thing there is to know about chim­neys or fur­naces, let a pro­fes­sion­al make sure your heat­ing sys­tem is up to code. Faulty heat­ing is often the cause of house fires and it is impor­tant to have your sys­tem checked at least once a year.

1. 1. Keep the Flames Away

Gaso­line, paint thin­ners, and oth­er high­ly flam­ma­ble mate­ri­als or liq­uids need to be kept in their prop­er con­tain­ers and away from igni­tion sources. Do not store these items in your garage. If you have a shed, this is the best place to keep these items.

1. 1. Dry the Dry­er

After each use, remove the lint from your dryer’s fil­ter. When the fil­ter becomes clogged, the dry­er can­not work effec­tive­ly and air­flow is reduced. A reduc­tion in air­flow caus­es heat to build up in the dryer’s vents and push­es the lint onto the heat­ing coils. This is dan­ger­ous and can cause a fire.

1. 1. Avoid Overex­tend­ing

Exten­sion cords can become dam­aged due to foot traf­fic, fur­ni­ture mov­ing, and pets. Dam­aged exten­sion cords are a fire haz­ard so check all cords for breaks and turn them off when they’re not in use.

1. 1. Don’t be Greasy

When cook­ing with oils and fat­ty sub­stances like bacon, be care­ful to wipe up any splat­ter that occurs. Fat and oil can get into your burn­ers and cause a fire very quick­ly.

1. 1. Teach your Kids

If you have young chil­dren it is ben­e­fi­cial to explain fire safe­ty. You can look online to find fire safe­ty charts and mate­ri­als that are geared towards kids, or vis­it your local fire sta­tion. The ear­li­er you edu­cate your young ones about fire safe­ty, the bet­ter.

1. 1. Butt out Prop­er­ly

Make sure all smok­ing mate­ri­als are prop­er­ly extin­guished. Use an ash­tray and do not flick your smoke on the ground or in a plant to put it out. If need be, run your butt under water to ensure it is no longer active. Smokes that aren’t ful­ly extin­guished can smol­der for days before you notice them.