October 5–11 marks Fire Prevention week. Observe it in your house by making sure your smoke alarms are in good working order and by addressing potential fire hazards throughout your house. Once a smoke alarm goes off, you may have as little as two minutes to escape. Still, having a properly installed alarm cuts your chances of dying in a fire nearly in half.
Beyond smoke detection, electrical hazards, overloaded circuits and improperly maintained appliances pose significant fire risks that every homeowner should address during their safety checkup.
Smoke Alarms
- Install at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home. Make sure there is one near every sleeping area.
- Ceiling-mounted alarms should be at least 4 inches away from the nearest wall. In homes with pitched ceilings, mount the alarm at the highest point. Don’t install alarms near windows, doors or ducts where drafts might interfere with their operation.
- Alarms that are hardwired to your home’s electrical system should be connected with each other so that every alarm in the house sounds when one of them detects smoke.
- Don’t paint smoke alarms. Paint, stickers or decorations can prevent them from working properly.
- Test alarms at least once a month following the manufacturer’s instructions. Replace batteries at least once a year.
- Replace your smoke alarms every 10 years.
Electrical Fire Prevention
- Don’t overload the circuits in your home with electronics. If your lights flicker or dim when you turn on an appliance, the load on your circuit is too high.
- If a fuse blows or a breaker trips frequently, you have too many appliances on that circuit, or the fuse needs replacing.
- Exchange blown fuses with appropriately sized replacements. Using fuses with higher amperage than you need is a fire hazard. A penny is not a safe substitute for a fuse.
- Avoid overloading outlets with multipronged adapters or extension cords. Use extension cords only temporarily, and make sure they’re not frayed or worn.
- Cords should not hide under rugs. Never twist them around nails or hooks or staple them to the wall or floor.
- Don’t plug space heaters into extension cords.
- Buy outdoor appliances, outlets and cords that are rated for use outside.
- Equip outdoor outlets—and those in kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms—with ground-fault circuit interrupters. Test them regularly.
- Don’t fold or roll an electric blanket while it’s plugged in. Turn off your electric blanket or heating pad after 30 minutes. Set an alarm to remind you if you’re likely to fall asleep.
Emergency Preparedness
- Stow a fire extinguisher in your house, and make sure everyone in the home knows how to use it, but remind them that their safest action is to escape as quickly as possible.
- Keep a cellphone in a visible and easily accessible place in case of emergencies. That way, you can get out of the house and then call 911.
- Don’t waste time grabbing documents or keepsakes when there’s a fire. Keep important and irreplaceable items such as birth certificates and photos in a fireproof box or a safe-deposit box at the bank.