Stop, drop and roll. Stay low. Have an escape route.
National Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 3-9 and serves as a good reminder to review and practice these fire safety rules. They will help protect families in a fire. But ensuring that loved ones are never threatened by a fire in the first place is even better.
“During National Fire Prevention Week, take a few precautionary measures in the home, too, and help prevent the danger and damage of fire altogether,” said Dan Kovac, assistant vice president of personal property at General Casualty and Southern Guaranty Insurance Companies. “Discounts on homeowners insurance may also be available from insurance companies for taking these steps.”
Here are five recommendations to help protect homes, as well as families, from fire.
- Detect and protect: Install smoke detectors on every floor of one’s home. Test them every month to make sure they’re working and replace batteries annually. The United States Fire Administration says working smoke detectors double the chances of surviving a fire. A fire alarm system that alerts the fire department when activated or sprinkler system are additional precautions to consider. All can help save lives and money.
- Location, location, location: When buying or building a home, consider whether it’s located in the proximity of a fire hydrant or other qualified water source and a fire department. This helps extinguish fires faster and lowers homeowners insurance premiums.
- Check your wiring: In homes 25 years or older, check the electrical wiring and make sure it’s capable of handling the electrical voltage used in the home. Many older homes contain fuse systems designed to handle less voltage. Updating electrical wiring to a circuit breaker with at least 100-ampere service can reduce the chance of a fire and insurance premiums, too.
- Keep the campfire outside: An indoor fireplace or wood-burning stove increases the risk of a fire. Temperatures in a wood-burning stove can reach 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of the increased fire and injury risks, many insurance companies charge higher premiums for homes with wood-burning stoves.
- Home construction considerations: Homes with exterior walls, floors and roofs made out of fire-resistive materials, such as brick, adobe, concrete or tile decrease the fire risk and may cost less to insure. These materials are less combustible than wood.
Kovac noted that fires are a growing cause of property damage in homes. In 2002, more than one third (34 percent) of all residential property damage was caused by fire, lightning and debris removal, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
“Homeowners should consult with their independent insurance agents to make sure their home and family are adequately protected,” said Kovac.
For more information please contact Anne M. Smith.