FIRE - facts and prevention

Attended a Continuing Education class this morning sponsored by SERVPRO of Burlington today.
Learned a few interesting things about Fire Losses:
Did you know there are 1.4 million house fires in the US each year?
Leading causes:

• Cooking - 42% ($ 876 million property damage, 331 deaths and nearly 5,000 injuries)
• Portable (space) heaters - 17%
• Electrical - 6%
• Smoking - 5%
• Dryer - 4% - when did you last clean your dryer vent (all the way from the dryer to the outside)
• Candles - 3%

Generally, a fire that burns more than 10 minutes causes catastrophic damage. The cost of cleaning/ replacing/repairing personal items, carpets, walls and ceilings and getting rid of the odor can run into the tens of thousands of dollars, and you could be out of your home for several weeks or months.

So, what can you do to protect your family and home?

• Never leave cooking food unattended - cooking causes 90% of kitchen fires and unattended cooking is the primary cause of these fires.
• IF you use a space heater-
• Automatic shut off if tipped over
• Thermostatic controls
• Cord/plug in good condition
• If using an extension cord, make sure it is heavy enough to handle the load & in good condition.
• NEVER cover the cord with a rug
• Keep it away from curtains, blankets, flammables.
• NEVER leave it on when you are not in the room.
• Clean the lint filter in your dryer after EVERY load and clean the vent pipe to the outside at least once a year (4x a year is recommended, but lets be real here!!)
• Have your furnace serviced every year - check the heat exchanger for cracks (20 yr life expectancy.)
• Check your water for leaks (10 yr life expectancy.)
• Have working fire extinguishers in your home (make sure one is in the kitchen and on each level of your home.)
• Make sure your smoke detectors work.
• NEVER leave a burning candle unattended.
• Clean your fireplace, wood or pellet stove chimney EVERY year.
• Don't over load your electric circuits.
• Make sure the electric service into your home (from the street) & in your home (both the breaker box and wiring) are adequate for your needs. Families today are electricity junkies - computers, coffee makers, TVs, game systems, blow dryers, hair straighteners, electric razors. A home built prior to 1960 might still have the original 60 A service coming in from the street, even if there is a 100 A breaker box and more than likely it still has the old black wiring. Many older homes might even have knob and tube wiring - check your attic and basement.

What do you do, if despite all your precautions, you do have a home fire. After you have called the fire department and your family is safe, call your insurance company & then call a reputable restoration company like SERVPRO of Burlington. The faster the restoration company can begin work, the better.

This is NOT an ad for SERVPRO of Burlington, but we have worked with several restoration companies and we like SERVPRO of Burlington because they can do ALL of the work. The have their own construction crew, and work with reputable contractors for the plumbing, electrical, flooring and HVAC work  They coordinate the work to be done and make sure it is completed correctly and in a timely manner. That doesn't mean they won't work with your plumber or HVAC guy, they will, but if you don't have one, they do!