Simple fire prevention advice for homeowners

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by: bythesea
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Word Count: 378
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2011 Time: 11:02 PM
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A house fire has the potential to be a genuinely devastating event; as well as the obvious danger to the health of you and your loved ones, a fire in your home also has the potential to destroy any number of personal possessions. While it's true that your home insurance policy should allow you to eventually replace many of your things, it's likely that there are at least a few items with sentimental value in your home that you would find it difficult - if not impossible - to replace.

For those reasons, it's important that you do everything you can to prevent such devastation from taking place in your home. The obvious starting point would be to fit fire alarms if you don't have them already - one for each level of your house.

Don't rest on your laurels if you already have alarms, though; they should be tested at least once a week and their batteries should be changed each year. It's also recommended that the entire unit is replaced every ten years, so if you've been in your house for a few years and the alarms were already there when you moved in, it's worth checking to see if it's time for replacements.

It's also important to be incredibly vigilant when using the kitchen as reports show that the vast majority of house fires are cooking related. Using oil or fat when cooking with pans is a particular danger, so ensure that your eyes are on the cooking at all times - and if you absolutely have to step away from the hob, take the pan off the heat until you return.

Another good routine to get into is switching off and unplugging all electrical appliances when they're not in use -- especially if you're heading to bed for the night. Also avoid overloading electrical sockets in order to reduce the risk of an electrical fire developing.

Fire prevention measures are incredibly important but it's also vital that you're prepared for quick action should a fire break out in your home. Tidy clutter away whenever possible to avoid escape routes being blocked in the event of a fire breaking out - and also ensure that keys to your locked doors and windows are easily accessible.

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