A house fire is a person’s worst nightmare. In most cases, you lose a majority of your belongings. The worst case, you lose a loved one. No one should ever have to experience that tragedy. That is why we strongly encourage to educate yourself and your family on fire safety. If you haven’t ran through your fire safety plan since your younger years, it’s time for a recap.
• When you and your family are sleeping, always keep bedroom doors shut. If you sense there is a fire in your home, you can feel the knob to see if it is hot before opening.
• Put together a few different exit plans for your home (basement, upper level, west end of home, etc). For younger children to understand, put together a map. Place this map in a commonly used area (inside linen closet door, coat closet, bedroom closet, etc)
• Have a meeting place. After everyone evacuates, have a location to meet that is distant enough from the home. Mention to a neighbor, in case of a fire, you will use their property as the meeting place.
• Teach the Stop, Drop and Roll method. Yes, they teach it in school. Practicing at home is just as important. Teach your children to stay below the flames by crawling low to the ground.
• Teach your children not to hide from smoke or fire. The goal is to move as quickly and safety as possible. Once they see a firefighter, or someone entering the home, run to that person.
• If Firefighters are not yet on the scene, and you evacuate, call/ go to your neighbors to call 911.
• Teach your children your address so they can relay that to the first responders.
• If your escape route is by window, make sure they are easy to open. Make sure they are not painted shut, or that there are no guards preventing the ability to exit.
• Ideally, we want to save our pets. If they can make it out with the family, great! If not, inform the firefighters about any pets in the home.
• As a reminder to you and your family, once you exit, there is no going back. Don’t take the risk of trying to save your belongings.
• Multi-level homes or buildings can be concerning. Make sure you are familiar with using an escape ladder.
In case of a fire, the best way to be prepared as a family is to routinely practice your escape plan. When its engraved in their mind, the smoother the process will go if a fire should ever happen.
As a home owner, a few things you can do to be prepared:
• Routinely change and check your batteries in your smoke detectors
• Have a fire extinguisher available on each floor, and in high risk areas (kitchen, utility, laundry room, garage)
• fireproof/whool blankets
• bottle water
• fire escape ladder
• fireproof lockbox with all important documents inside, with some cash.
No one should ever have to experience the devastation from a house fire. Being prepared is key! At Crew Construction and Restoration, we have seen the emotional toll it has on a family. Our team will work with you and your insurance company, through the process of restoring or rebuilding your home, and we ensure you, there is light at the end of tunnel. When disaster strikes, you can count on Crew Construction and Restoration from start to finish. Call Today for all of your project needs.
