Our homes are usually the most expensive single item we ever buy. Not only do they represent a significant financial investment, but our home is a big emotional investment. They are the places where we raise our families and celebrate our lives. Our homes are our refuge from a busy world – a safe place where we live, love and grow together. Yet in the U.S. alone there are more than 500,000 residential fires every year that are serious enough to require a call to the fire department. Worse yet, every year more than 4,000 Americans die in home fires and approximately 20,000 are injured. Tragic statistics indeed, but equally tragic is that the vast majority of these fires and related injuries and deaths are preventable.
Top Ten Tips for Fire Safety
1. Install Smoke Alarms
The single most important purchase you can make for your home is smoke alarms. Working smoke alarms can double your chances of surviving a fire. Most deaths that occur in home fires arent from fire, but from smoke. Homes should have at least one one smoke alarm on every level. To make certain smoke alarms are fully functional they should be tested monthly, kept free of dust and...