Daily Things to Do to Prevent a House Fire

No one thinks their house will catch fire, but accidents happen. Our priority is keeping you, your

family, and your home safe! We want you to keep your home intact, so we came up with some things you can do to prevent the common causes of house fires:

·         Clean Your Stove - Built up grease can easily catch fire when you are cooking if you do not clean it often.

·         Check Your Dryer - Always clean the lint filter before putting another load of clothes in the dryer. It is also important to clean out your dryer vent regularly because lint can build up and start a fire.

·         Check the electrical cords - You should never use an electrical cord that is frayed. This goes for headphones and phone chargers too.

·         Batteries - Many people keep their batteries all in one drawer. However, if the ends touch it can spark. These sparks have been known to start house fires. If possible keep the batteries in their original package.

These are just a few of the many things that can start a house fire, so it is important to be prepared for the worst. Our emergency escape ladder will allow the whole family to reach safety even if you have a multi-story home. Call us today at (800) 736-4022 with any questions regarding our ladders or your family’s safety.  

Things to Keep in Mind When Preparing for Fire Emergencies

When it comes to making sure your home and family are prepared in the event of a fire emergency,

there are certain things you need to keep in mind. This not only goes beyond the actual fire escape plan and practicing it, but also prevention steps that your family needs to know as well. Here are two things you need to keep in mind when preparing your family and house for a fire emergency.

Preparedness goes further than your plan – When you are making sure that your family is prepared in the event of a fire in your home, planning your safety route is just the beginning. Necessary steps beforehand like how to prevent a fire from happening in the house, as well as education on how lesser known actions can start a fire are essential in prevention. Educating your family on how to stop a fire from happening with simple, everyday tasks can be what saves you in the end.

Fire alarm locations and sounds – This may seem like a pretty obvious step in preparing for fire emergencies, but making sure that your family knows the exact locations of all fire alarms and their sounds is crucial. This is especially important for smaller children in the event that an alarm does sound, since they may be disoriented by the loud noises and not know what is going on. Teaching them what the alarms look like, where they are in your home, and what they sound like is an essential part in any fire safety plan.

If you are looking for an emergency escape ladder to incorporate into your home’s fire safety plan, turn to us at ResQLadder® – the makers of the original escape ladder. For almost 50 years, ResQLadder® Emergency Escape Ladders have been manufactured to make sure you and your family are safe from harm. Always 100% made in the U.S.A. Learn more about our fire escape ladders today at ResQLadder.com.

How to Keep your Family Safe from Fire

The 10 most common causes of house fires include: cooking, children playing with fire, smoking, the furnace, electrical problems, candles, the fireplace, clothes dryer, storage of flammable materials, and Christmas trees. No matter what the cause, your main concern is the safety of family members. Here are ways to keep your family safe.

Install Fire Safety Equipment

Here is fire safety equipment you need to not only keep family members safe, but reduce fire damage to your house and possessions:

·         Smoke Detectors – Lack of a properly functioning smoke detector is responsible for most fire-related deaths in homes. They need to be tested monthly and replaced every 10 years.

·         Carbon Monoxide Detectors – Carbon monoxide can make family members very sick or even cause their death. It is especially dangerous since it is colorless and odorless.

·         Escape Ladders – If you have more than one story in your house, you should have one fire escape ladder in each room on the upper floor.

·         Home Fire Sprinklers – These can put out a fire before it has a chance to grow and spread, saving lives and possessions.

·         Fire Extinguishers – There should be a multipurpose fire extinguisher in the kitchen, workshop, and garage.

Have and Practice an Evacuation Route

All members of the family need to know how to safely leave the house. The evacuation route needs to be practiced very often. Also practice alternate routes, such as using a different door or window, in case fire or dense smoke is blocking an exit.

Learn What to Do During a Fire

·         Leave the house immediately

·         Don't stop to get valuables

·         Test doors for heat and if they are hot, do not open

·         Bend down or crawl under smoke

·         If there is a lot of smoke, cover your nose with a T-shirt or wet rag

·         Stop, Drop, and Roll

·         Don't re-enter the house once you are out

·         Meet outside in a designated place

·         Stay a safe distance away from the house

Fire Safety Equipment for Your Home

As a homeowner, you want to protect your family and home from fire. One important element of fire

safety is installing the necessary equipment. Here is a list of fire safety equipment to keep your home fire safe.

Smoke Detectors

Three out of 5 home fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke detector or one that was not working. Most of the non-working ones had dead or disconnected batteries or no battery at all. Smoke alarms can be battery operated or hard-wired and you need to test them monthly. You should also replace smoke alarms every 10 years.

Fire Escape Ladders

People don't normally think about these but they are a necessity for multi-level homes. There are over 70 million homes in the U.S. that have two or three stories and only 6 percent have emergency escape ladders. They are easy to use and there should be one in each room with a window in the upper levels of your home.

Home Fire Sprinklers

Many people do not know that fire sprinklers are available for residences. Automatic sprinklers will save lives and can put out a fire long before the fire department arrives. This reduces the amount of property loss to your home by around 70 percent. Average cost to install is $1.60 per square foot.

Fire Extinguishers

Portable fire extinguishers can put out a small fire or keep it from spreading before the fire fighters arrive. Before using, make sure everyone is out of the house safely and the fire department has been notified. There should be a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, garage, and workshop. Buy a multipurpose one and make sure you understand how to use it.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Even though carbon monoxide detectors do not warn of fire, they are the reason behind many fire department visits. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas formed when fuel does not burn completely. It is very dangerous and can poison or kill people. Combination smoke and CO detectors are available for purchase. 

How to Prepare for Commercial Fire Emergencies

There are around 80,000 commercial fires in the United States every year. These cause approximately

3,000 deaths, 18,000 injuries, and over $10 billion in damages.

Here are the top causes of commercial fires and ways to prepare for a fire emergency:

Common Causes

It is important to know how and where most commercial fires start, so you can try to prevent them. Common causes are:

·         Cooking: Typically caused by employees cooking places other than the kitchen

·         Electrical: Usually caused by violations of electrical codes or an overloaded system

·         Heaters/Boilers: Occurs when they are not maintained properly

·         Smoking: Workers smoking in undesignated areas

·         Arson: Usually happens in unused buildings

·         Storage: Storing flammable materials improperly

Preparing the Workplace

Here are steps to ensure the workplace is safe and easy to evacuate:

·         Have fire safety equipment including: fire extinguishers, emergency escape ladders (second floor and above), fire blankets, signage showing this equipment, and the evacuation path

·         Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

·         Put in a sprinkler system

·         Have kitchen hoods with fire extinguishing capabilities

·         Install an alarm system with lights and sound

·         Have emergency lighting

Preparing the Workers

Training is crucial in preparing workers to deal with a fire. Employees need to be reminded annually of emergency procedures. Topics to cover when training workers:

·         Places where cooking is allowed

·         Location of designated smoking areas

·         Proper storage procedures

·         Location of fire safety equipment and proper use of each

·         Operation of fire extinguishers and other fire safety equipment

·         Exit routes in all parts of the building and location of all exits

·         Shutdown procedures

·         Type and location of fire hazards in the building

·         Where to meet outside

When the fire alarm activates:

·         Leave the building quickly

·         Do not use elevators in a fire

·         Feel a door before you open it

·         Stop, drop and roll if your clothes catch fire

·         If there is smoke, lower your body

·         Never re-enter until given the all clear

Three Things You Can Do to Help Prevent a Fire in Your Home

According to the National Fire Protection Association, house fires claimed the lives of almost 2,700

people in 2015. In that same year, over 360,000 house fires were reported. How do we reduce this statistic and, most importantly, make sure it doesn’t happen to our families? Here are three simple things that you can to help prevent a fire from happening in your home.

Smoke Alarms – If you are building a home, it is required by law that you have hard-wired alarms on each level of your home. If you live in an existing home, it is recommended that you have smoke alarms installed on every level of your home and outside of bedrooms. Not only making sure that you have the correct number of alarms installed, but also checking the smoke alarms functionality twice a month and replacing batteries as needed can help to prevent a fire in your home.

Limit Candle Usage – While it may seem like a small way to prevent a fire, it is important to limit the candle usage in your home for safety purposes. Making sure that you never leave a candle unattended and that when it is lit, the candle is away from flammable items can also help to prevent a house fire from happening to you.

Portable Heater Usage – Space heaters and other types of portable heating units are a common cause of house fires for a variety of reasons. It is important to remember that if you are using one, keep it away from any items that can catch fire and unplugged when not in use. Preventative measures can help to stop a fire before it starts.

If you are looking to go the extra mile in keeping your family safe in case of a house fire, our escape ladders for homes can help. Visit us and shop our entire collection of escape ladders for homes today at ResQLadder.com.

What Your Fire Safety Evacuation Plan Needs to Have In It

When it comes to preparing you and your family for the event of a fire, coming up with a fire evacuation plan is essential in making sure everyone is safe. So how do you start to prepare your evacuation plan? Here are some tips on what it should have in it so that everyone is out of harm’s way in the event of fire.

A safe place – Every fire evacuation plan should have a safe place in mind for everyone to gather. The safe place can be across the street from your home, the large tree at the front of your house, or a neighbor’s yard. As long as the place is away from the home and fire, establishing your safe place ahead of time can help to save everyone’s lives.

Visible home numbers – Is your house street number visible from the road? If not, making sure that it is visible from that distance is a crucial step in your fire evacuation plan. This ensures that your home can be seen by emergency responders in the event of a fire. If your numbers aren’t visible from the road, painting them on your mailbox or having larger numbers installed on the exterior of your home can help.

Escape ladders – If you live in a multi-level home, consider purchasing an emergency escape ladder or two and including them in your fire safety plan. If the fire is in the bottom part of the home and is blocking all your exits to safety, having an emergency escape ladder in one of your upper floor rooms can help get everyone out of the home safely.