While every season brings about a change from the last, the coming of autumn arguably represents more change then any other season. Summer vacations roll back into the school year. Days quickly get shorter, nights get chillier, and the trees produce breathtaking scenery for weekend drives. Fall also brings about prime season for cider and pumpkin flavored goodies, with Halloween candy sprinkled in for good measure. Of course, every season also brings with it unique security concerns. In this case, the shift from summer to fall brings about an increased risk in a home fire. With this post, we share some tips to increase autumn fire security to keep you safe this fall season.
A CO alarm testing kit, such as this model by Qwik CO, can be used to make sure your alarms will catch dangerous CO levels in your home.
We will begin with some tips on checking and testing your fire and carbon-monoxide detection equipment. This alone goes a long way towards experiencing security during colder weather. From there, we will examine the benefits of adding equipment to your home to help detect and fight fires. Finally, we’ll share some safety tips based around the autumn-related warming and decorating practices of readying your heater for use and lighting candles. Now, let’s get started by focusing on how to effectively test and check the equipment that you depend on to detect fire and carbon monoxide-related emergencies.
Check and Test Fire and Carbon Monoxide Detection Equipment
Of course, you should check and test fire safety devices all year. However, doing so gets even more important as summer turns to fall. After all, heater use goes up in the fall and winter months. Furthermore, many people find themselves more likely to spend long periods cooking as the weather cools down. Thanksgiving alone has caused more than its fair share of home fires. In fact, the National Fire Protection Association (or “NFPA”) reports that Thanksgiving is the most dangerous fire safety day of the entire year!
You can use a couple of methods to test your fire detection equipment. Most of these devices have a “test” button on them. Pressing this button will ensure that your smoke and carbon monoxide (or “CO”) alarms have working sounders. However, this does not test the devices for actually detecting smoke or carbon monoxide! You can use a “can of smoke” to effectively test your smoke alarms. Likewise, you can also purchase test kits with cans of carbon monoxide, such as the one pictured, to test your CO alarms. We always recommend testing this equipment in early autumn, so it will work when you need it most. Next, let’s look at how adding monitored smoke and CO detection can greatly enhance your security!
Add Monitored Smoke and CO Detection
Several months ago, we created a post on Adding Life Safety to Your Burglar Alarm. In that post, we shared the importance of adding monitored smoke and carbon monoxide detection. Of course, you can easily deduce at least one of the benefits of adding this detection. If you have a fire or carbon monoxide emergency, your alarm will create an audible response, a phone call from our central station, and, if necessary, an emergency fire department dispatch. This provides a great deal of security for your home. Furthermore, it provides a priceless measure of life safety. If you have a fire or CO event while sleeping, this equipment can also save your life.
Monitored smoke detectors, such as this one by System Sensor, can create a fire department response to a fire at your home.
Moreover, monitored smoke and CO detection has a benefit that surprises many of our customers. Insurance companies will often reduce your monthly premiums if you add this security. Therefore, installing this equipment often saves you money in the long run! The combination of additional security, life safety, and savings make this step a no-brainer for many homeowners. Now, let’s look at another piece of equipment that can improve your autumn fire security.
Purchase Fire Extinguishers for Your Home
Fire extinguishers make up a good bit of our company’s overall equipment purchases. However, the vast majority of these sales come from commercial customers. In fact, we very rarely see customers looking for extinguishers for their homes! We consider this a major oversight. Fire extinguishers can help you put out small fires before they turn into catastrophes. Furthermore, they can prove extremely important if you ever find yourself trapped by a fire. Even if you cannot completely stop the blaze, having extinguishers in important areas of the home can give you a better chance to escape. Consider installing extinguishers in bedrooms, where you are most likely to get trapped by a fire. Additionally, extinguishers in kitchens can also come in handy in the case of a cooking fire. Next, we’ll look at a couple non-equipment related autumn fire security “checklists.”
Take Precautions Before Beginning Heater Use
As we pointed out earlier in this post, heater use contributes to the overall fire threat that the fall season ushers in. Before turning the heat on for the first time, consider inspecting and cleaning all of the components of your heating system, including both the cleaning unit itself and all heaters throughout your home. Of course, some heating maintenance differs based on what type of heat you have. We encourage you to consult your heating unit’s manuals and call the company that installed your heating unit for tips on maintenance.
Additionally, make sure that the areas around your heaters remain clear. Drapes, clothing, and loose papers around heaters can all work to undermine any autumn fire security precautions that you may undertake this year. Simply keeping your heaters clear of any flammable objects goes a long way! Now, let’s take a look at a common-sense fire safety tip that is still commonly forgotten or ignored.
Candles grow in popularity as fall begins, and can leave you at risk for a fire if you fail to take proper precautions.
Exercise Candle Safety
What’s better than a cinnamon, pumpkin, or equally fall-related scent drifting through your home as the result of lighting a cozy-looking candle? Many homeowners begin burning candles in earnest as the weather gets colder. Of course, this practice brings its own fire-related dangers if those lighting candles fail to take proper precautions. For example, do not leave a room with a lit candle for a long period of time. Furthermore, as we pointed out in our Best Practices to Improve Bedroom Security, sometimes people fall asleep in bedrooms with burning candles. We strongly recommend blowing all candles out well before falling asleep.
Additionally, candles and decorations pose a unique candle-related fire threat. In fact, the NFPA shares that festive decorations directly lead to more candle-related fires. From Halloween through Thanksgiving and then through the holiday season, the danger from festive decorations obviously increases. We recommend keeping a safe distance between decorations and candles and, once again, making sure you do not leave lit candles unattended. Taking basic precautions can go a long way towards adding both security and peace of mind as turning on your heat, lighting candles, and decorating your home all come into play this autumn.
Experience Autumn Fire Security in Your Own Home
We hope that this tips helps keep you as safe from fire and CO-related emergencies this fall. Additionally , we encourage you to contact us with any questions you may have after reading this post. Furthermore, we also offer complimentary site surveys to both new and existing customers alike. The ability to talk to a security professional about your concerns can greatly enhance your security. Moreover, we can make recommendations of our own based on what we see during our visit. Together, we can create a plan to keep you, your most valued possessions, and your loved ones as safe and secure as possible!