Not sure where to start when it comes to home safety?
Protecting your home and family can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Our Residential Safety Guide breaks it down into clear, practical steps, from fire prevention to emergency preparedness and everyday safety.
Whether you’re reviewing your plans or starting from scratch, this guide is a helpful place to begin.
Tips for ResidentialFire Safety :
Residential fire safety is a combination of prevention to stop fires before they start and preparedness to ensure a safe escape if they do. Key areas for home safety include smoke alarm maintenance, kitchen vigilance, and practicing a formal evacuation plan.
1. Essential Detection & Equipment
- Smoke Alarms: Install alarms on every level of the home, inside every bedroom, and outside each sleeping area.
- Test monthly: Use the test button to ensure they are functional.
- Replace batteries: Change standard batteries once or twice a year, or immediately if the alarm “chirps”.
- Replace units: Discard and replace the entire smoke alarm every 10 years.
- Fire Extinguishers: Keep a Class ABC-rated extinguisher on every floor, specifically in high-risk areas like the kitchen and garage.
- Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detectors: Install CO alarms in a central location outside sleeping areas to detect this “invisible killer”.
2. Fire Prevention in High-Risk Areas:
- Kitchen (Leading Cause of Home Fires):
- Stay Alert: Never leave frying, grilling, or broiling food unattended. If you must leave the kitchen, turn off the stove.
- Keep it Clear: Maintain a 3-foot “kid-free zone” and keep flammable items (towels, oven mitts) away from burners.
- Grease Fires: Never use water. Instead, slide a lid over the pan to smother flames and turn off the heat.
- Heating Equipment:
- Space Heaters: Keep them at least 3 feet away from anything flammable (curtains, bedding). Always turn them off before sleeping or leaving the room.
- Maintenance: Have chimneys and furnaces professionally inspected and cleaned once a year to prevent creosote buildup.
- Electrical Safety:
- Check Cords: Replace any frayed or damaged electrical cords immediately.
- Avoid Overloading: Do not plug too many appliances into one outlet or use extension cords for long-term power.
3. Emergency Preparedness & Escape:
- Create an Escape Plan: Draw a map of your home showing two ways out of every room (e.g., a door and a window).
- Designate a Meeting Place: Choose a permanent outdoor landmark a safe distance from the house (like a specific tree or mailbox) where everyone should gather.
- Practice Drills: Conduct a home fire drill at least twice a year. Practice “getting low and going” to avoid toxic smoke.
- Close Before You Doze: Sleeping with bedroom doors closed can significantly slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire.
4. What to Do During a Fire:
- Get Out and Stay Out: Once you have escaped, never go back inside for any reason—including for pets or valuables.
- Call 911: Only call emergency services after you are safely outside the building.
- Crawl Low: If there is smoke, crawl on your hands and knees where the air is cleaner.
- Feel the Door: Before opening a door, feel it with the back of your hand. If it is hot, do not open it; use your secondary exit.
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