In light of Fire Prevention Week from October 8 to 14, we want to emphasize the importance of fire safety and prevention in your home. With less than three minutes from when your smoke detector goes off to evacuate your home, every second counts. Avoid the panic and stress of a household fire by having working smoke detectors, practicing your escape plan and taking the steps to prevent a fire from occurring.
The first step to fire safety is to ensure that one never happens. Here are some prevention tips:
- Ensure all windows and doors open fully and easily
- Don’t leave stoves, space heaters, fireplaces, candles and other heat sources unattended
- Keep space heaters away from flammable materials
- Don’t overload electrical outlets
- Remove trash and any flammable items away from your house
- Never run extension cords under carpet
- Never use flammable liquids in the basement as they can explode when exposed to your furnace
- Get your furnace and water heater inspected by a professional annually
- Unplug appliances when not in use
- Large appliances should be plugged directly into outlets
- Never operate a dryer without a clean lint filter
- Don’t leave the dryer running when you’re not home
- Write the expiry date of your smoke alarms on them and change them every 10 years
- Test your smoke alarm monthly and change the smoke alarm battery annually
- Install one smoke alarm on each floor near sleeping area
Fires can double in size every 30 seconds. In the event of a fire, make sure you know what to do without hesitation.
- Create a floor plan of your home and have two ways to exit each room, if possible
- Review and practice your escape with your family semi-annually
- Teach your children how to escape a fire on their own and what to do if they catch fire
- Ensure your house number is visible and easy for fire department to find
- Call 911 when you arrive at your meeting place
- Do not re-enter the burning building
Three out of five home fire deaths happen from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. Liberty offers a wireless Smoke and Heat Detector with a rate-of-rise heat sensor detecting temperatures that rise higher than 15*F in less than 60 seconds, which typically indicates a fire. This Smoke Detector can detect heat over 57*C, beneficial in cases when the heat of a fire reaches the sensor before the smoke does. Since our Smoke and Heat Detector is monitored 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, you will have the security of knowing fire emergency services will be dispatched immediately in the case of a fire. When the smoke alarm goes off, it will activate the alarm system and alert authorities, even when you’re not home and when the system is not armed.
Who hears your smoke alarms when you’re not home?
Contact us today (1-866-926-7233) to add a Monitored Smoke Detector to your Liberty Security System for only $119!
Written by Mimi Ngo
