Comments on: 8 Steps To Prepare For A Fire

By: kareAnderson

kareAnderson — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:15:20 +0000

When a fire does happen in a home, here

By: candy

candy — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 23:49:54 +0000

can you give us a procedure how to make a smoke alarm/
???

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 22:51:57 +0000

It is most important to be ready with the correct fire extinguishers in your home. having one in your kitchen is a necessity.

By: Hazzard

Hazzard — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:35:04 +0000

My parents had a massive fire in their house in December. Two weeks after that, my father passed away from a heart attack. I can tell you from experience (I took over dealing with insurance once my father passed away) that you want to do business with a good insurance company. My parents have “The Hartford”. I have been very impressed with them. I currently use Allstate and have heard about lots of denied claims etc. Some of the contractors also happened to mention that we should be glad my parents didn’t have Allstate. I fully intend to switch over to Hartford. The other big less learned is that not only should you have a replacement rider on your policy, you should also be sure that your policy limits will cover both the demolition and rebuilding of your house. MOST people are very underinsured. To increase the policy only costs a minimal amount, but it will truly save you in the long run.

By: vsjhoc

vsjhoc — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:38:50 +0000

I’ve got the small backpack by my bedside (and yes, I know, if the fire breaks out in the kitchen I’m screwed because my bedroom is upstairs). It’s also got some blank checks, a car key, and clean underwear. I’ve even got a t-shirt from a “help the homeless” walk I did a few years ago — seemed appropriate.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 19:33:24 +0000

Are you serious about putting a smoke detector “near the kitchen”? I’d guess the resulting frequent alarms would be a major cause of people taking the batteries out of their smoke detectors. I have one in the hallway as far from the kitchen as possible and it goes off frequently. It’s just outside the bedrooms–I’m thinking of replacing it with one for each bedroom, just inside the bedroom doors.

I like to keep a fire extinguisher near every door. That way, if you pick one up, you are between the fire and a door. I should probably get another one to keep by my bedroom window.

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:48:40 +0000

My friends and wife think I’m a worry wart because I’ve prepared for fire, earthquake, etc.

I disagree with Dave about leaving the pets behind. It’s not just children who are attached to their animals. If there’s a fire, I grab the cat, the wife grabs the dog and we’re out.

Other suggestions:

1. Buy an emergency disaster kit from the Red Cross or assemble one from their list on the red cross web site (http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_500_,00.html). I have one for two people that is in a knapsack in my closet where I can grab it and run.

2. Good suggestion about the inventory list. Just as good as a safe deposit box is to email a list (and if possible photos) to yourself on Google or some other web-based mail service. That way, you can download the list whenever you need it from someone’s computer. We also have a safe deposit box with back ups and with important documents. I make my living as a writer, so I make sure that I back up my writing each month and swap out or add a new disc to the box.

3. This is more fire prevention than what to do if one happens: unplug your coffee maker when it’s not in use. A friend of mine is a forensic investigator with the fire dept and says that the number one cause of house fires is coffee makers because even when they’re off, there is still electricity running through the coil. Every coil has a finite life cycle and once that’s hit, it can short out and cause a fire. These days with everything in the US being made in China on the cheap, it’s a very good idea.

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:08:59 +0000

Great tips! As a firefighter, I know too well that these things aren’t tought of often enough. Re: Fire drills – absolutely! Remember to stay low if there’s smoke – it’s amazing how much less smoke there is. You also need to know where you will meet your family away from the house once everyone is out. If you smell smoke, get out first, then call 911 from a neighbor’s house, or cell phone, and, I’m sorry to say, tell the kids the cat’s on their own, along with the toys, etc. Finally, no matter what, DON’T GO BACK IN THE HOUSE! Leave that to the professionals.