October is Fire Prevention Month!
October is National Fire Prevention Month, so it’s a great time to review fire safety for your home and property. As we enter into colder months, we are building wood fires, using gas fires, fire pits outside and space heaters. These things all add to the warmth and coziness of fall, but they also carry with them some hazards. It’s important to practice safety any time we are dealing with heating elements. Below are some tips to help you be fire safe and ready for the cold months ahead.
Top Ten Fire Safety Tips
- Make sure you have the proper amount of smoke alarms in your home and that your kids know what they sound like. Check www.nfpa.org for more information.
- Do a fire drill this month with your family and go over your fire safety plan. Remember to teach them about stop, drop and roll and how to call 911. Also, remind everyone to get out immediately and never go back inside a burning building for anything.
- If you use candles, always blow them out when leaving the room.
- The American Red Cross states that smoking materials are the leading cause of residential fire deaths. So, if you smoke, do it outside, use deep ash trays, always put our butts completely and never smoke in bed drowsy.
- Always put our wood burning fires before bed and turn off gas logs. If you burn a fire outside, be sure to put it completely out before going to sleep.
- Turn space heaters off when leaving the room. It is not recommended to sleep with a space heater on, they are prone to cause house fires. Always keep a 3 foot perimeter around a space heater and nothing near it that could catch on fire.
- Never use an oven to heat your home and always turn it off before sleeping or leaving the home.
- Keep your oven and stove clean and free of oil spills or materials near that could catch on fire.
- Do not store combustible materials or chemicals near heat sources.
- Make sure you have not exposed wiring or frayed cords.
Practice these tips and go over your fire safety plan with your family this month, so you can enjoy the colder months ahead with peace of mind! As always, if you need us, our friendly and knowledgeable staff at IRS are here to help and answer any questions. Call us anytime!
