Fire Safety in the Fall Season

9/2/2022 (Permalink)

As we enter this fall season families will be spending more time indoors. It is also the time to think about Fire Safety.  The most common causes of house fires are:

• Failure to maintain appliances
• Careless smoking
• Children playing with fire
• Unattended or careless cooking
• Candles
• Holiday decorations
• Electrical circuit overload
• Outdoor burning that spreads to the home

Any of the above can cause significant property loss, injuries, or death.  Our lives are busy with work, school, family activities and the holidays are just around the corner.  There are a few things we can do to help prevent fires from starting such as:

• Cleaning the stove after each use to prevent grease build up.
• Making sure we have working smoke detectors in the home. 
• Being sure that all electronics are not left charging overnight or while we area way from the home. 
• Checking all holiday decorations to ensure the cords are in decent shape.

Other things that can do throughout the year are:

• Make sure to clean dryer vents.  Lint buildup can cause a fire. 
• Replace furnace filters and remove dust from the unit
• Replace the batteries in all smoke detectors. 

Fire Fighters suggest that you do all of these things at Daylight Savings time because it's easy to remember.  One of the most important things that a family should do is have an "Escape Plan" in place and practice it monthly so that everyone knows what to do and where to meet in case of a fire.