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Home Safety

A house fire is probably many people’s worst fear, and not just because it can destroy a lifetime of valuable possessions but also because it can actually be life-threatening. Moreover, as dangerous as the flames are, it’s actually the smoke that is more likely to make you pass out and suffocate. All in all, it’s safe to say that fire and smoke is not something that should be taken lightly. With that in mind, here are a few ways to protect your home from these hazards.

What to do if your house catches on fire?

Knowing what to do in case of fire can save both your life and your house. So, needless to say, if you can extinguish the fire, do it. If you cannot, you need to get to safety before smoke fills your house, and you need to call for help. Now, if there already is some smoke and you can’t exactly run out in seconds, you should crawl your way out, as smoke tends to go upwards.

Fireman

How to prevent fires?

Of course, prevention is always better than cure, so it’s essential that you do everything you can in order to prevent fire. For starters, you should test your fire alarms at least once a month, and you should make sure to replace the battery as well. You should replace the battery once a year, even if the alarms only activated when you were testing them. After all, you don’t want them to malfunction when you need them the most.

Next, don’t let a small fire grown into a bigger one if you can stop it right away. Getting a fire extinguisher before you need it gives you a chance to learn how to use it. Even if you never actually need to use it, it can still give you peace of mind knowing that you have it. So, get at least two for your home, and one smaller extinguisher for your vehicle.

Also, you should come up with a safety plan, especially if you have kids. Most of us have gone through fire drills in school, but not many people organize such drills at home. So, come up with the best plan in case of fire, and make sure your kids are well familiar with it. The plan should include the safest route out of the home, what to do when the alarm goes off, and where to meet in case you get separated. Practice this together until everybody gets it right, and repeat the drill at least twice a year so nobody forgets it.

What are the health risks?

Besides damaging your property, fire and smoke can also cause some serious health problems. Believe it or not, the smoke can actually linger in your home for weeks after the fire. Not to mention how difficult soot can be to remove. Some of the possible health issues include bronchitis and other respiratory issues, skin problems, eye irritation, and in some cases, smoke can even lead to cancer, stroke, heart attack, and long-term problems for infants.

The reason why fire and smoke can be so dangerous is because of the things they melt. Many items, like carpets, fabrics, wool products, and plastics, release harmful chemicals when burned – these chemicals are what causes all the serious damage. This is also why home restorations after a home fire should always be done by professionals.

To sum up, fire in a home can be extremely dangerous, and besides destroying your property, it can cause some serious health problems as well. This is why you should do everything you can to prevent fires when possible and extinguish them quickly if possible. By being well-prepared, you would have one less thing to worry about, and your family would feel much more comfortable in your home.

 

This is a guest post by Jack Kewell.

Feeling completely safe and secure in your home and out of it is something that starts becoming a priority as years go by. Especially when you do not have to think about yourself only but your family as well. Therefore, doing everything in your power to protect your home and loved ones is a must if you wish to have some peace of mind. One of the things you need to address is your emergency plan. Here are some pointers:

Make the outside of your home safe

If you live in a house like I do, you might want to secure your outdoor premises. Basically, first thing I did when I started feeling more aware of possible theft dangers is that I got a nice fence around my yard. It is not too high so it does not look like I am trying to hide something. But, it is still high enough that it would be fairly obvious if someone tried to jump over it. We got motion detecting lights outside and these always light up in the evening when someone walks around the yard. Even though our family dog Henry is getting old, the sign ‘Beware of the dog’ and his occasional barking are in my opinion great additions to the general home security.

Beware of the dog sign

Locks and alarm system

You must never neglect the protection of your house or flat itself, even if you think that there is no way for uninvited guests to step into your yard or building unnoticed. Combining the locks of my house with good security system was the best thing I ever did because it provided me and my family with good nights of sleep and made us completely relaxed when we are going out, thanks to different modes and settings such as Home Mode and Away Mode, that can be further customized and accessed from any device as long as you have Internet connection.

Safety codes and words

It is extremely important to be able to actually remember your alarm code easily, especially when in danger and hurry to quickly leave the home. Therefore, we as a family decided on the combination of our birth dates which involves one number from each member and therefore it is really easy for us to remember it but it would not be an obvious guess in any way to an outsider. Moreover, we came up with a safe word that we could give to the security center in case they need to check our identities fast as well as the unfortunate possibility when we would have to call each other for help. Simply texting a safe word is quicker and more efficient than trying to make a call.

family safety - a man holding a baby's hand

Prepared for the worst

We had long talks as a family about worst case scenarios that could happen. It is of utmost importance to stay calm if you find your house burgled and leave immediately without touching anything to call the police. If you have kids, explain them that in this case they should run to the neighbors and talk to the neighbors about this as well so they would know what to do and who else to call beside the police. Also, thefts might not be the only lurking danger and I always keep the bag filled with necessities and emergency kit ready in the car in case of fire, with our most important personal documents safely stored away in a hard cover folder that can be taken with us in a second.

If you are a responsible adult you would not find it difficult to tend to all the necessary actions for home security. Also, remember to keep your home’s layout neat so that you would not trip in the dark when you have to leave quickly.

If you still fear you missed something and you are not sure how to behave in case of an emergency, I found this infographic by SimpliSafe to be quite useful.

Simplisafe_home_break_in