The first full week in October marks Fire Prevention Week.  It is extremely important to review fire prevention safety on a regular basis, especially with young children.  Did you know most fires occur in the home between the hours of 11pm and 3am?  So in order to act quickly in the middle of the night when everyone is sleeping, the safety procedures must be second nature.

Smoke Detectors:

• test smoke alarms once a month
• make sure there are working smoke alarms on every level of your house
• working smoke alarms in each bedroom and outside sleeping areas
• have children listen to the sound the smoke alarm makes
• are your smoke detectors older than 10yrs?  replace if they are

During a Fire: 

• have a home fire escape plan
• two escape routes from every room
• if the handle of a door is hot or has smoke coming out underneath, keep door closed and use 2nd exit out
• if you are using 2nd exit out of room and it is a window, make sure you can safely get out or wave light colored sheets/clothes out window to signal you are inside
• stop drop & roll still holds true if you catch on fire
• make a meeting spot outside your house

Prevention is key.  Make sure you check your electrical and appliances for wear and tear. Have all chimneys inspected annually for wood burning stoves and fireplaces.  Space heaters need to be used in well ventilated areas, not plugged into power strips!  And always attend to food cooking on the stove or oven.

If you have a fire in your home or apartment, please call us and we will help you with the claim process www.mancuso-nowak.com.