Fire Prevention Week!
This week (October 8th to October 14th) is Fire Prevention Week (FPW)! The theme this year is “Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out!” Fires in your home can spread extremely fast, so every second you have to evacuate counts. In order to make sure you’re safe in the case of a fire, make sure you know of two ways to get out, especially if one of your escape routes gets blocked. The real question is, what are some of the best ways to prepare to evacuate after a fire?
Being Prepared for a Fire Could Save you and Your Family’s Lives
If you want to safely evacuate in the case of a fire, the best thing you can do is remember the acronym “RACE.”
Rescue
Rescue and help those who are unable to escape from the burning building themselves.
Alarm
Call 911 and get proper help.
Contain
Shut doors on the way out of the building to prevent the fire from spreading.
Extinguish or Evacuate
Depending on the size of the fire, you may be able to use a fire extinguisher to put the fire out. If not, evacuate from the building and do not go back in until proper help has come.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) offers this advice to help families be prepared if a fire breaks out in their home:
- Plan two exits, one door and one window, that you can use to evacuate from your home in the case of a fire. Keep those two exits clear and make sure the window can easily open and close.
- Do fire drills twice a year, once during the day and another at night (since many fires happen at night) to make sure your family knows what to do and can react quickly if a fire happens in your home.
- Prepare a place for your family to meet outside the home. Choose a tree, mailbox, or telephone pole your family can gather around after evacuating.
- Once you’ve evacuated your home, don’t go back inside until it’s safe. Never enter a burning building.
Now What?
After the fire has been properly put out, it may be hard to decide what to do next. Fire damage in your home can be daunting, and trying to figure out how to get your home back to normal can be overwhelming. Here’s what you should do after the fire’s been put out:
Call a Restoration Company
A restoration company can help clean up and restore your home back to normal. Many companies can get to your home within 60 minutes, leaving you with little time to stress and worry about the state of your home.
Take Pictures for Insurance Claims
Before the restoration company arrives and before you even move anything, take pictures and document everything you can about the damage. The more evidence you have of the fire, the better, as that evidence will make filing a claim with your insurance company that much easier.
Start Cleaning Up
Once your insurance company gives you the clearance to start cleaning up, it’s time to start moving things around and sorting through the mess the fire left. Don’t worry, though, as you won’t be cleaning up alone. Your restoration company can not only help you clean up the mess, but they can restore many of your belongings to how they once were.
If you ever find yourself faced with fire damage, contact us! The experts at Kelmann Restoration can not only remove that lingering smoke smell in your home, but we can also rebuild and repair your home back to how it was.