Tips for Homeowners: Simple Measures You Can Take to Save Your Home from Fire

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Article Title:

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Tips for Homeowners: Simple Measures You Can Take to Save Your Home from Fire

Article Description:

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You may have homeowners insurance that provides coverage for

damage to your home resulting from fire, but this coverage cannot

protect your loved ones or memories in the case of fire, it only

covers material objects.

Additional Article Information:

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1031 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2009-07-15 13:00:00

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Copyright: 2009

Contact Email: mailto:insurancequotes.com@...

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Tips for Homeowners: Simple Measures You Can Take to Save Your Home from Fire

Copyright © 2009

Insurance Quotes.com

http://www.InsuranceQuotes.com

You may have homeowners insurance that provides coverage for

damage to your home resulting from fire, but this coverage cannot

protect your loved ones or memories in the case of fire, it only

covers material objects. Every year, 4,000 Americans die in

fires, and the vast majority of those deaths occur at home. Each

year, 100,000 homes are destroyed, 40,000 family pets are killed

and uncounted irreplaceable family treasures are lost forever to

fire. Tragically, most fires are preventable. Don't depend on

your homeowners insurance, taking just a few simple measures

around your home can help prevent a possibly fatal fire.

Home Heating Systems:

The leading cause of fires in the home is faulty heating

equipment. Home heating systems can include furnaces, fireplaces,

wood stoves or space heaters. A few things that you can do to

ensure that your home heating system is safe:

* Change your air filter regularly to ensure that your furnace

isn't overtaxed.

* Don't leave piles of newspaper or other combustibles within

two feet of your furnace.

* Your furnace should be checked regularly by a professional.

The flame should burn a bright, steady blue and should never come

outside of the furnace.

* If you hear or smell natural gas leaking from your furnace

lines, evacuate the house immediately and use a phone outside the

house to call 911.

* Fireplace chimneys need to be cleaned out frequently and

inspected for cracks and obstructions.

* Never burn trash, paper, or green wood in your fireplace.

* Use a fireplace screen that is both big enough to cover the

entire opening of the fireplace to catch flying sparks and heavy

enough to stop rolling logs.

* Inspect and clean your wood stovepipe and chimney on a regular

basis and check monthly for damage or obstructions.

* Keep combustible objects away from wood stoves.

* Only use heaters with the Underwriters Laboratories (UL)

safety listing.

* Never put anything on top of your space heater.

* Never leave the heater unattended or with unsupervised

children.

* Both electric heaters and kerosene heaters should be unplugged

or turned off if you go to bed or leave the house.

* Only use crystal clear K-1 kerosene in your kerosene heater -

never gasoline or camp stove fuel.

* Never use an oven or stove to help heat your home.

Smoking in the Home

While home heating systems are the number one cause of fires in

the home, cigarettes are the number one factor in home fire

fatalities. Follow these safety tips for smoking in the home:

* If you do smoke, be sensible.

* Do not leave cigarettes, cigars, or pipes unattended.

* Don't smoke in bed.

* If you begin to feel drowsy while watching television or

reading, extinguish your smoking materials in a safe container.

* Use a large, deep, metal or glass ashtray with wide lips.

* Never put ashtrays on the arms of sofas or chairs.

* Water down cigarette butts and ashes before dumping them.

* Store matches and lighters up high and out of children's

sight and reach, preferably in a locked cabinet.

* Do not put ashtrays in a location where children or pets could

knock them over.

Arson

The number two cause of fire-related deaths is arson.

Intentionally set fires claim the lives of more people each year

than all natural disasters—including floods, hurricanes,

tornadoes and earthquakes—combined. A little diligence around the

house, along with a watchful eye for strangers, can make a world

of difference:

* Most arson fires are fueled with combustible material found

nearby. Keep properties clean, and keep flammable liquids safely

out of sight, locked in a shed or garage.

* Learn about arson trends in your area.

* Start a neighborhood watch program to prevent arson and other

crime.

How to Handle a Kitchen Fire

Many household fires start in the kitchen. Untended cooking and

human error account for most of these fires - not mechanical

failure of stoves or ovens. Here's how to handle a kitchen fire:

* Call 911 immediately. Prepare for the worst and don't

hesitate to call.

* Smother frying-pan fires by covering with a lid, then turn off

the heat with the lid in place until the pan cools. Do not try to

carry the pan outside because this could seriously burn you if

the contents spill out.

* Other food fires may be extinguished with baking soda, so try

to keep an extra box stored in an upper cabinet location. Never

use water or flour on cooking fires.

* Turn off the heat to smother oven or broiler fires and keep

the door shut.

* Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and know how to use

it.

General Fire Safety Tips

* Keep children away from open flames and electrical

receptacles.

* Make sure your smoke alarm is maintained and working properly.

Check batteries twice a year (a good way to remember to do this

is to check smoke alarms when you change the clocks at the

beginning and end of daylight savings time).

* Have a smoke alarm in every level of your house.

* Keep your emergency numbers near the telephone.

* Always call the fire department for any fire, even if the fire

has been completely extinguished.

* Have a fire evacuation plan and practice it with your family.

Insure your Home

Last but not least, although homeowners insurance can not save

your life or priceless memories, it is an absolute necessity to

protect yourself against damage to or the loss of your home and

its contents. Most mortgage lenders require some level of hazard

insurance for your home, but you should always get additional

homeowners insurance to make sure you are fully protected. When

shopping for a homeowners insurance quote, it's important to

research the insurer, understand the policy, and choose the right

amount of coverage. Policies vary from one company to another, so

you should get a homeowners insurance quote from several

different companies before deciding on one.

At a non-biased, third party insurance quotes site consumers can

choose the type of insurance they are interested in receiving a

quote for, fill out a form online, and within minutes a request

is submitted. At that time, local insurance agents contact the

consumer to discuss their insurance needs and compete for their

business. Consumers can then choose from the best offer they

receive.

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