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Fire Safety Tips For The Typical HandymanBy Jim Sulski Summary: Not only can you prevent fires in your home, but you can add precious seconds to your escape plan. Jim give easy and effective fire safety tips for any homeowner. Of the thousands of fire deaths that take place yearly in the United States,
most of them take place in homes. There is much that a do-it-yourselfer can do to make their homes more fire safe. Not only can you lower the odds of a fire occurring, but there are steps you can take that can also add precious seconds to an escape plan if a fire does occur. What follows are fire safety projects geared towards the typical handyman: • As simple as it sounds, installing smoke detectors is the most important safety step you can take. Nearly half of all home fires, and more than half of all home fire deaths, occurred in residences that didn't have smoke detectors, according to the Quincy, Massachusetts-based National Fire Protection Association. In Chicago, that rate is much higher. Smoke detectors should be installed on every level of the home, including basements, and outside of sleeping areas. Keep them out of kitchens and bathrooms as cooking fumes and steam will set them off. Detectors are installed by simply attaching the backside of the detector to a wall or ceiling with a couple of screws. The screw anchors needed for the job are usually supplied with the smoke detector. The units should be placed as high up as possible in a room. On ceilings, keep them at least four inches from the nearest wall. If installed on a wall, keep the unit between four and 12 inches from the ceiling. Don't install the detectors near windows, doors or a heating and air conditioning vent. These things could detour smoke from the unit. If a smoke detector has been painted over, remove it and install a new one. Never paint a smoke detector. Once installed, maintain the smoke detectors. The NFPA reports that one in five smoke detectors is not working, mostly because of dead or missing batteries. Subject the units to monthly tests, and change the batteries twice a year at the same time you reset your clocks to "fall back" or "spring ahead". Also, vacuum or dust the units at the same time to remove cobwebs and dust. • Also, install fire extinguishers throughout the house. Place them near exits so that you can try to fight a fire and yet be able to escape. They can also be used to extinguish a fire that's blocking an escape exit. Fire extinguishers should be mounted on the wall in plain sight and high enough for easy access by adults. Most include a bracket that can be glued or screwed to the wall. It is essential to have an extinguisher in the kitchen but also important to have them In workshops, garages or rooms with a fireplace. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to keep the extinguishers stay charged. • Make sure all the windows on your home function so that they can act as escape routes in the event of a fire. Windows that don't open are most likely painted stuck from the inside or outside or both. Use a putty knife and a hammer to break the paint seal along the edges where the window meets the frame. Once you get the window open, spray silicone oil into the tracks so that the window opens and closes easily. Also, security bars that cover windows should have quick-release levers that can be opened by all family members, including children. • If doors are missing off the entrance to bedrooms, replace them. Fire officials encourage people to sleep with their bedroom doors closed. If a fire breaks out and smoke spreads through the house, a door will obstruct the smoke, adding minutes to your escape. Replacement doors are available at large home improvement stores and can be cut to fit any opening. For older homes, there are also hundreds of replacement doors found at salvage houses and antique stores. • Another helpful safety hint is to patch any cracks in a plaster or drywall basement ceiling. If a fire originates in a basement, an opening in the basement ceiling is a quick way for the fire to move upstairs. • When installing insulation in an attic or wall, inspect your home's electrical system for frayed or deteriorating wiring before covering it. Install insulation at least three inches from lighting fixtures to avoid heat build-up. • Avoid storing gasoline or other combustible chemicals in the basement or an attached garage. Flammable and combustible liquids can be fire hazards as their vapors ignite easily. If possible, store the liquids in a metal cabinet in a shed or detached garage. Finally, keep combustibles such as newspapers or wood away from furnaces, boilers, water heaters and other sources of heat. • To help the fire department find your home, install address numbers
large enough to be seen from the street in front of your home. Paint the letters
a contrasting color from the rest of the building. © by Jim Sulski. All rights reserved. February 1, 2005. NOTE: This column is distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate, PO Box 366, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022. This column may not be resold, reprinted, resyndicated or redistributed without written permission from the publisher. © 2005 by Ilyce R. Glink. Distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate. |
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