Today I had the unwelcome honor of watching a neighbor’s house burn down. Thankfully a couple of brave souls working close by entered the burning house and woke the owner allowing him to escape without harm. What if they hadn’t been there? I couldn’t hear any smoke alarms screeching which, given the owners have lived there since the 70s, makes me think perhaps they didn’t have any. By the time the fire trucks got there the house was totally engulfed. I shudder to think what could have happened…
American homes suffer an unwanted fire every 10 seconds and every 60 seconds there’s a fire serious enough to warrant a call to the fire department. Are you prepared for a fire at your home? Take a walk through of your home today to check for potential fire hazards. Plan your escape routes. Install smoke alarms if you don’t already have them and replace the batteries on them if you do. Place smoke alarms on every level of your house and test them regularly; you should also have alarms located inside and outside of all sleeping areas.
You can find out more about protecting yourself and your home from fire on the FEMA website.
Stay safe and always be prepared.
