Learning how to prevent fires is one of the most important things you can do for your home and your community.
Many homes and buildings are lost or damaged in communities due to negligence, which could be anything from being careless with discarding cigarette butts or not cleaning your dryer lint traps after each load.
Read on for some fire safety tips to help you protect your home and communities from preventable fires.
Extinguish and discard cigarettes properly.
- Make sure to completely extinguish before discarding.
- Cigarettes and other smoking materials that are not properly extinguished can still burn undetected and smoulder for days before starting a fire.
- The most common cause of fires from cigarettes have started from incorrectly extinguished smokes in planters around the house.
Limit use of outlet extenders or plug-in power bars.
- Too many electronics plugged into to an outlet or power bar can quickly overload an electrical circuit. This can cause sparks, smoke, and lead to a fire that can do much damage to your home.
- Never plug in a space heater into a power bar or extension cord.
Remove lint from your dryer filter after every use.
- A clogged filter and lint trap make your dryer less efficient, reduces the airflow needed to keep heat from building up in vents, and forces lint onto the heating coils.
Store towels, rags, and containers of cooking oil well away from the stove, and always turn off the stove before you leave the room.
- Be sure to keep anything flammable away from the stove, especially if it is turned on.
- Never leave the room with the stove left on.
Have your chimney cleaned at least twice a year if you have a fireplace or wood stove.
- Without regular cleaning, tar-like byproducts of burning wood—called creosote—can build up in the chimney.
- Creosote is highly flammable, so the more creosote build-up in your chimney, the higher risk there is for chimney fires.
Reduce risks when burning candles.
- Never leave burning candles unattended.
- Always extinguish all candles before leaving the room or going to bed.
- Never burn candles on or near anything that can catch fire (e.g. curtains, bedding, clothing, etc.).
- Always keep candles out of reach of children and pets, and always somewhere they cannot be knocked over.
Purchase a fire extinguisher for your home.
- You should have the right tools handy in the event of a small fire before it grows to something bigger and out of control.
- When purchasing, always check for certification marks (such as ULC), the size of the fire it is designed for, and ensure that you can comfortably hold and operate it.
- To use, remember the order of operations: P.A.S.S.
- Pull – the pin
- Aim – at the base of the fire
- Squeeze – the trigger
- Sweep – back and forth at the base of the fire vigorously
Reducing the risk of fire now can help prevent the loss of your home and/or belongings. It is so easy for a fire to catch when we are not paying attention, so be sure to stay vigilant and follow the safety tips above.
Want to learn more about property insurance and how to reduce risk in your community? Visit our Property & Casualty page:https://www.tipionline.ca/property-and-casualty




