Making Your Home Beautiful

Fire safety is something that should always be discussed within the home. When you have kids, you have the added responsibility of ensuring that they know what to do in the event of a fire. Here, you'll find a little information to help you prepare your kids for a fire.

Evacuation Plans

If your kids are school-aged, they've probably been taught a little about fire evacuation plants at school. Oftentimes, fire departments hold assemblies, and in some cases, dedicate an entire week to fire prevention and safety. So, your kids know to evacuate if there's a fire at school, but do they know what to do if it happens at home?

Do you have a family evacuation plan in place? The upper levels of the home should have fire ladders in each room. Those fire ladders are only good if your kids know how to use them. Every couple of months, review how to use the ladders with the kids, so that they are prepared and can get out when they need to.

Does your family have a meeting place outside of the house established? You need to be able to complete a head count for everyone in the household when an evacuation takes place. Agree on one place to meet that is away from the home. If you have a nearby neighbor, work with them to allow kids access to the house if an emergency arises. This way, you'll know exactly where your kids are supposed to be after they've evacuated the house and can alert the fire department of anyone that is still potentially inside the house.

Fire Extinguishers

How long has it been since you've seen the fire extinguishers in your home? Many homeowners purchase one fire extinguisher, stick it under their kitchen sink and never give it another thought. That is until they need it.

You should have more than one fire extinguisher in your home. One in the kitchen, one in the garage, at least one on the upper living levels, one in the basement and if you have a fireplace or wood burning stove, one in the same room.

Check your fire extinguishers each time you check the batteries in your smoke alarms. Fire extinguishers do expire and will need replaced from time to time. Make sure the dates are good and that the rubber hose has not dry-rotted.

If you have any further questions about maintaining fire safety in your home, talk with local fire extinguisher services such as Fire Foe Corp or your local fire department.