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!
Fireplace Safety in the Winter
Tips for Safe Fireplace Use Many individuals buy a house with the added feature of a fireplace or buy a house with the intentions of putting a fireplace in. When getting a fireplace installed in your home, there are many things that you as a homeowner should think about, especially if you have small children in the house. There are many fireplace safety tips to consider: Your fireplace should be installed professionally. Every year before using your fireplace, you should hire a professional chimney sweep to inspect and clean your chimney. As a homeowner, you should make sure that your home has the right smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Make sure that each detector works properly and has new batteries. When owning a fireplace, you should make sure to have a fire extinguisher nearby. Never place any kind of material close to the fireplace. Flammable materials should be three or more feet from the fire. If there are pets or small children in the house, you might want to consider getting a gate to put around the fire place. Never burn anything that could cause the fire to get out of hand. Don’t burn trash, Styrofoam or plastic. Burning these things could lead to your fire getting out of control and becoming dangerous. Never use flammable liquids to get your fire started. There are fire starting logs that can help with getting your fire started easier. Also make sure you have a fire alarm installed in case the fire does get out of control when you are not in the room. You and your family can be alerted immediately and the fire department called so the fire can be taken care of as quickly as possible. Contact Your Fire Safety and Home Security Company For more information or questions regarding your fireplace or need to have smoke and/or carbon monoxide detectors installed in your house, you can contact SPS security and Fire at 585-770-0348.
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.
Fire Extinguishers, Fire Plans, Fire Alarms, and More
During Fire Prevention Week, which occurs each year in October, your children are educated at school about fire alarms, fire safety plans for their house, the do’s and don’ts of fire safety, and a whole lot more. One question that we as parents should ask ourselves is what would happen if there was a fire? Would your children know how to use a fire extinguisher? Or if the smoke alarm was falsely tripped, would they know the security password to tell the alarm company? Monitored Smoke Alarms Any fire department, home contactor, or security alarm company would tell you that any smoke detector is better than no smoke detector. If you have children at home, the best detectors to have would be ones that can monitor fires. This means that even if you burn toast or forget the cake in the oven, the alarm will sound and be signaled to your alarm company. When that happens, the alarm company will call you and you must provide them with your security password. When the company calls, you can give them your password and explain to them that it was false alarm so they don’t call the fire department. Monitored smoke alarms are better to have rather than simple standalone ones that only beep when triggered by smoke, especially when children are in the home. Knowing How to Use a Fire Extinguisher It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to fire safety. Plus, it is never too early to teach your children to use a fire extinguisher. If your home doesn’t already have a fire extinguisher, it would be a good idea to consider getting one. Some of the simplest fires can be put out with a fire extinguisher and save many of lives. You and your family can learn how to use a fire extinguisher by either contacting your local fire department and having someone from there show you, or you can watch the video below. Having your children know how to use an extinguisher will make you, as a parent, feel a little more at ease with them at home. Fire Plans Every home should have a fire safety plan. A fire safety plan is also known as a fire escape plan or, as firefighters call it, “Knowing Two Ways Out.” A fire escape plan can be as simple as you as a family would like it to be. Practicing it every year at least two to three times will help all members in your family be safe, especially when little kids are involved. If you haven’t already practiced your escape plan for this month, you should make a point to get your family together and practice. For any questions regarding monitored fire alarms contact SPS Fire and Security and, for fire extinguishers and where to get one, contact your local fire department. Both will be able to answer any questions you have. Contact An Experienced Fire Alarm Installer At SPS Fire & Security, fire safety goes well beyond Fire Prevention Week. We help you choose a system that works for your home and budget and then we install it for you. To learn more about our services, call us at 585-770-0348 and get a free consultation.
What Smoke Detector Better Suits Your Home?
Choose the Right Smoke Detector If you are like many people, you probably didn’t know that there are different kinds smoke detectors, which means you would probably go to the hardware store and get the first one that you see. Every year, there are many people either injured or killed due to home-related fires. The reason for that is because either the smoke detectors didn’t work properly or the homeowner didn’t have the proper smoke alarm installed. Knowing more information on the different smoke and fire alarms and which type best suits your home will have a better impact on saving your life in the chance that there is ever a fire. Where Can I Get Smoke Detectors? Smoke detectors can be purchased at any hardware, home supply or general merchandise store located near you. Some fire departments offer smoke alarms at little or no cost. Get High-End Fire Protection! Where Should Smoke Detectors be Located? Every home should have smoke detectors and they should be placed on every level of the home including the basement. The detectors should be placed outside every sleeping area and the bed should be no more than twenty feet from the alarm. If there is people in the home that sleep with the door closed, then a smoke alarm should be installed both inside and outside of that room. Two Different Kinds of Smoke Detectors Most people don’t know that there are different kinds of smoke detectors and that each one serves a different purpose. Knowing the difference will have a better chance at saving a persons life. A photoelectric smoke detector uses ultraviolet light, a photoelectric receiver, and a lens. All of the components are arranged inside a vented chamber so that air can flow. If there is smoke, it will move through this chamber. There is also an LED light that sends a beam of light across the chamber. There is a separate compartment inside where there is a photosensor that detects the light. As the smoke enters this area, the smoke interrupts the light, which causes the light to scatter toward the light sensor. This makes the alarm sound. Photoelectric smoke alarms are very responsive to fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association, photoelectric smoke alarms are outstanding at providing proper warning for the different types of fires. They give homeowners more time to get out of the house when a fire begins. An ionization smoke detector contains americium-241 in a very small amount. It is housed in an ionization chamber. This produces an electric current between a pair of metal plates, which is what sounds the alarm. This happens because these metal electrodes are connected to the battery. When in contact with americium-241, air molecules are converted into positive and negative ions. When smoke enters the alarm, these ions bond with the smoke, causing the alarm to sound. Ionization smoke alarms are typically more responsive to an active fire. This type of alarm can detect a small amount of smoke. If food on the stove starts to catch fire, the alarm is going to detect it. That is why this type of fire alarm is currently found in kitchens. However, this type of alarm may not sound in enough time to allow a homeowner to get out fast. The Fire Alarm Verdict – SPS Fire & Security Can Help After hearing about both kinds of smoke alarms, a homeowner should get photoelectric smoke alarms for their house. Photoelectric alarms will respond faster in alarming homeowners to get out in the event of a fire than ionization alarms. Also remember that your security system has a fire alarm built into it. It is another way to make sure you and your family are safe. If you don’t have a security system with fire and carbon monoxide detection built-in, contact SPS at 585-770-0348 and ask us about how we can make you and your home safer.