Fire Safety Over the Thanksgiving Holiday
Tips that Go Beyond the Kitchen Thanksgiving is a delicious time of year in which we give special attention to the many things that we are thankful for. It’s also a time in which we must be extra vigilant about fire risks and safety so that those people and things that we love are protected. Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to ensure that your home is safe during this chaotic and joyful time without adding too much to an already very long to-do list. These are also measures that can protect you, your family, and your home year round. Protect Yourself Against Fire, Flood & CO Every Day! But First, A Look at Some Numbers Before we get into the tips, it’s good to get a solid understanding of why you need to make extra sure that you prevent a Thanksgiving fire, which will help you prevent a fire at any time. The U.S. Fire Administration published a report on Thanksgiving fires in residential buildings from 2014 to 2016 and this is what they found: For every year (2014, 2015, and 2016), there were approximately 2,400 residential fires reported to U.S. fire departments on Thanksgiving day, which caused $19 million in property loss in addition to the 25 injuries and 5 deaths. There are 1.8 Thanksgiving Day fires per 1,000 fires compare to 5.8 non-Thanksgiving Day fires per 1,000 fires. There are 11 injuries per 1,000 Thanksgiving fires compared to 25.7 injuries per 1,000 non-Thanksgiving fires. $7,800 is the average loss per fire compared to $17,560 for non-Thanksgiving Day fires. Multifamily dwellings account for 32.1% of Thanksgiving Day fires. One- and two-family dwellings account for 62.6% of Thanksgiving Day fires, while the remaining 5.3% is reserved for other types of homes. Thanksgiving fire alarm numbers begin to increase at 7:00 a.m. and peak from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 77% of Thanksgiving fires are limited to the object of origin, which means it is contained where it begins. However, this doesn’t minimize the extent of injury. Cooking is responsible for 76.5% of Thanksgiving fires. You can see here that the pattern of Thanksgiving fires is different from a random fire that happens any other time of the year. Knowing the profile of what makes a Thanksgiving fire different can help you with prevention. Just don’t let the fact that there are fewer deaths or injuries per 1,000 fires get your guard down because Thanksgiving is one day a year and nearly 3,000 fires on one day is a lot. Fire Safety Tips to Keep You Safe on Thanksgiving Now it’s time for some quick tips. For instance, HAVE A WORKING SMOKE ALARM. This is key in fire containment and overall safety. Security alarms have built-in smoke detectors that can detect smoke or fire anywhere in the house all year round. Second, make sure you have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen close to the stove and oven. Before you start cooking, make sure your fire extinguisher is safe to use. Third, don’t cook with long, loose sleeves since loose clothing can catch fire. Some other tips: Don’t leave cooking food unattended. Yes, it is tempting to make that quick trip to the grocery store, but either have another adult watch the kitchen or send them on an errand. Kids and the cooking of a huge meal aren’t compatible. It’s best that the little ones stay away from all of the sharp objects and hot things. Face pot and pan handles toward the back of the stove so they aren’t over any burners. Be mindful of towel placement so they don’t touch a burner and catch fire. If a fire occurs, your 24/7 monitored security system can alert the authorities. Don’t yet have a system? Call 911 immediately. If the fire is a grease or oil fire, don’t throw the contents outside. Instead, place a lid over the flames to snuff them out and turn off the heat. The lid shouldn’t be removed until the pan cools. You can also put out an oven fire by keeping the door closed and turning off the heat so it smothers. Opening the door simply gives the fire oxygen to thrive. Baking soda is also another good thing to have to put out a food fire. You don’t want to use flour or water because the reaction could be a violent one that causes the fire to spread. Contact An Expert Rochester Fire Alarm Company By keeping the above fire safety tips in mind, you should have a much safer Thanksgiving. If you don’t have an alarm system that can detect smoke or fire anywhere in your home, SPS Fire & Security has some great options that will help you protect your family and your home. Call us for more information at 585-770-0348. Happy Thanksgiving!
It’s Fall Y’all! Time to Prep Your House Against the Elements
7 Tips to Help You Get Your Home Ready for Fall The weather has been unseasonably warm, but can you feel it? It’s still there – it’s Fall! The leaves are changing, pumpkin spice is everywhere, the Fall events are in full swing. However, the change of seasons can take its toll on your home. That’s why it’s important to get your home ready for fall, which will also put you on the road to getting your home ready for winter. Fall Home Preparation Tips Here are some tips to help you prep your house: Prevent flooding by cleaning your gutters. Water that flows over the gutter’s edge can pool around the foundation and enter cracks and crevices. Over time, the pooling can create those cracks that can allow moisture into your basement. A gutter leaf is a good way to keep debris out of your gutters to make cleaning much easier. Clean the fireplace, chimney, or chimney pipe of debris so that a fire doesn’t occur. You can hire a chimney cleaner who will ensure a properly closed damper and that all charred wood and ash is removed. Outdoor faucets need to be drained to avoid freezing. An outdoor faucet with water still in it could freeze up and crack, which can cause a leak. Hoses should also be removed and shutoff valves turned to those faucets. Gaps around windows should be sealed up so you can keep home energy costs down. Plus, you’ll be a lot more comfortable if you don’t feel cold air from outside blowing in on you when you’re trying to cozy up on the sofa. Have a roof inspection performed. This is the perfect time of year to have a roof inspector come and check for small bits of damage so that the damage doesn’t worsen over winter. Roof inspectors can also see if you are at risk for ice dams. Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse get cold and ice dams are common and damaging. Prevention is key so you’re not calling an ice dam removal service in the middle of winter to take care of a problem. Check vents to the furnace to make sure they are not clogged or covered up by furniture or rugs. Blocked vents are fire hazards and can affect airflow. Upgrade your security alarm system if you haven’t yet. Systems can now detect fire, flood, and carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a bigger danger in the fall. Carbon monoxide is a bigger danger in the fall – protect your family! Call Your Rochester Security Company Today! At SPS Fire & Security, we have helped people throughout Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo keep their homes safe and secure. These tips, along with our business security and home security services, will keep some money in your pocket and keep you and what’s yours safe. Call today at 585-770-0348 for a free estimate.
Home Fire Alarm Rochester: Christmas Light Safety
How to Prevent Christmas Light Fires It’s almost Christmastime and everyone likes to decorate at least a month early and use tons of lights. Some even have a beautiful light display that many will drive by to see. One thing that crosses many peoples’ minds is how much the electricity costs for the Christmas season or how do they keep from having a fire with as many lights as they use. Just note that because there is always a fire risk, you also need to ensure you have the proper fire alarm installed in your home so you and your family receive early warning that there is a problem. Christmas Light Safety If you are one of those individuals that like to decorate with lots and lots of lights, there are many things that you can do to prevent an electrical fire. If you forget to turn your lights off and are away from home, there are a few ways that you can turn them off right from your smart phone. Christmas lights When shopping for lights make sure you read the labels correctly. Putting inside lights outside can become dangerous and cause electrical shock. If you have lights from the previous Christmas, you want to check all the bulbs and the extension cord that they come on. If either is damaged don’t use them. Damaged cords can become overheated and cause a fire. Its always a good idea to save the extra bulbs that come with the string of lights so if one bulb needs replacing you are using the same exact light bulb for that string. Using a light bulb with a different wattage can be dangerous. When hanging lights on the tree, inside or outside, make sure that you connect no more than three strands of lights together. Connecting more could cause a fire because of overheating. Extension cords should not become overloaded with lights. When purchasing an extension cord, make sure you know how much wattage you are going to be connecting to it. Overloading the cord with more wattage than recommended can cause an electrical fire. Turning your lights on and off Make sure you turn off your tree lights, lights outside, or any Christmas lights used for decorating before you go to bed or before leaving your house. If there is ever a time that you forget, you can call a neighbor. If it becomes a repeated thing, you might want to invest in smartphone outlet plugs. These are plugs that you get for your house that you can plug the tree lights, outside/inside lights to. Once you have purchased the plug, you download the app that is connected to the plug. Follow the instructions in the app and you are good to go. Security System Fire Alarm Company Rochester If you have any additional questions regarding a home fire alarm Rochester residents trust in their homes during the holiday season and throughout the entire year, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 585-770-0348.