Making Your Home Fire Safe

Have you taken steps to make your home fire safe and put preparedness plans in place for your family? It's never too late to get started implementing these fire safety tips.

Be prepared

Before you start unpacking after a move, get your home fire ready for yourself and your family.

• Have working smoke detectors in several rooms of your home -- don't forget to test them on a regular basis and replace batteries when they lose power
• Buy fire extinguishers, one of which should be placed near the kitchen -- replace when they expire
• Hang a planned and posted escape route for your family

Plan an exit route
Prepare an escape route with your family in advance and practice with children. There should be several means of exit in case one route is blocked by fire or debris.

Limit fire hazards
Prevent a potential fire by eliminating hazards around your home.

• Keep furniture away from heating elements
• Turn off electric or gas items when not in use, such as the stove or hair styling tools
• Never leave candles unattended and do not place near flammable belongings
• Move flammable items away from fireplaces and do not leave lit unless you're in the room
• Don't overload electrical sockets with extension cords, plugs, surge protectors and power strips
• Avoid smoking inside your home

Get insured
No matter how prepared for a fire, accidents do happen, so it's important to have homeowner's insurance on the day you move into a new home -- you can even save money by bundling with your current auto insurer.