The days are shorter & nights are longer, which means more electrical use. And the Holiday Season is almost here, which always brings a spike in accidental fires.
Here are few statistics to consider:
- Roughly 3 out of 5 fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or working smoke alarms.
- Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home-fire injuries
- For decades, smoking has been the leading cause of home-fire deaths
- Heating equipment was involved in one in every five home-fire deaths
Now is the time to check and double check your detectors! Don’t know if your alarms are working?
Here are some tips to help keep your family safe:
- Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout your home. That way, when one sounds, they all sound. It increases safety especially when individuals are sleeping.
- Test alarms once a month to make sure they’re functioning properly.
- Typically if an alarm fails it’s due to a missing or dead battery, so easy to fix.
- Make sure smoke alarms are installed in every bedroom and also the basement
- CO2/smokes should be installed outside of and within 15’ of bedroom doors
- Most smoke alarms need to be replaced every 10 years
- For any individuals hard of hearing or deaf, there are special alarms that have strobe lights or bed shakers to alert to danger
Protecting your home is also a concern and there are ways to mitigate risk to it by following these guidelines:
- Have all electrical work done by a qualified electrician
- If you’re buying or remodeling your home, have it inspected by a qualified electrician.
- Use Arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) which are designed to shut off electricity when a dangerous condition occurs.
- Use ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) to reduce the risk of shock.
- Use light bulbs that match the recommended wattage on the lamp or fixture.
- Only plug one heat-producing appliance into a receptacle outlet at a time
Remember if you notice any potential electrical malfunctions in your home, it’s always best to call a qualified electrician or your landlord for assistance.
We offer electric home safety inspections, smoke detector installations and more. Home safety inspections can bring peace of mind and safeguard against electrical fires and appliance failures.