Even More Fire Prevention Tips

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

24 Mar 2009 11:53 AM

When it comes to protecting your home and your family from fire, you can never be too careful. Have you taken all of the precautions that are appropriate to safeguard your home?

If you missed the earlier posts in this series, you can find them here:

Fire Prevention Tips

More Fire Prevention Tips

Also, state Farm Insurance has a never of safety guidelines that are available in a little booklet.

Now, let's talk about a few more things that you can do to prevent fires in your home and help your family survive, if you do have a fire.

Install a fire ladder at an upstairs window, or at least keep one handy. Since most fires can start in the lower levels, being trapped upstairs is a real possibility, and fire ladders do save lives.

If you have a fireplace, make sure that you take precautions with it. After a relaxing evening by the fire, it may be tempting to close the damper and go to bed. But if you still have hot coals in the fireplace, closing the damper can force carbon monoxide into your home. It can also heat up the coals, leading to a fire in your home.

Other considerations if you have a fireplace is to have your chimney cleaned and checked on a regular basis. You should also install a rain cap with a metal screen. This will prevent stray sparks from drifting out and hitting your roof. It will also prevent leaves and debris from getting stuck in your chimney walls and causing a chimney fire. We didn't use our fireplace until we installed a cap on the chimney.

Make sure that all of your electronic equipment has plenty of room for circulation. This equipment can heat up very quickly, so it is important to make sure that it is all well ventilated. Keep any clutter away from the vents or the back of electronic equipment.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

Related Articles:

Granite Countertops May Be Dangerous to Your Health

Protecting Your Appliances and Electronics from Electrical Surges

Preventing Water Damage in Your Home

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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