Taking the Threat of a House Fire Seriously Means Being Prepared

It’s dangerous how much people underestimate house fires. Not only are they more common than people think–with more than 365,000 house fires occurring each year for the past five years–but they’re also much more dangerous than people think. In fact, someone dies a fire related death once every 169 minutes, while someone is injured from a fire once every 30 minutes.

It’s reasons like these why your home needs to be better protected. Here are three pieces of fire protection equipment to consider having on hand.

Smoke Alarm.

Smoke alarms are an integral and vital part of all fire protection systems–so much so that every floor of every house should have at least one alarm. Of course, a lot of households only have these fire protection products because they legally have to, and not because they’re all too concerned with their safety. That being said, it’s absolutely paramount that you make sure these fire protection products are in working order by testing them once a month, replacing the batteries at least twice a year or as frequently as necessary, and buying a new smoke alarm when they break.

Fire Extinguisher.

Although not every home needs to have a fire extinguisher, these fire protection products would certainly be handy to have, especially in the kitchen where the vast majority of house fires (57%) begin. If you do decide to buy these fire protection products, it’d be wise to first speak with a sales associate since there are multiple different classes of extinguishers meant for multiple different things. Also, the fire protection handbook advises that the fire extinguisher be inspected by professional fire protection services at least once a year.

Sprinkler System.

Sprinkler systems are, hands down, one of the best automatic fire suppression systems a house could have, since they immediately decrease the risk of fatalities in a fire by 80 percent. Plus, they’re quite affordable to install and they may make a homeowner eligible for discounts and rebates on his or her insurance, too.

The threat of house fires is very real, and should never be underestimated. Taking it seriously means being read with the proper fire protection products on hands. Having a working smoke alarm, fire extinguisher, and/or sprinkler system will all decrease the risk of a house fire. If you have any questions about these fire protection products, feel free to ask in the comments. Read more.