Fire Safety Tips

There’s a saying that goes, “It would be better to be robbed of your things, rather than your things and possessions be burned to the ground.” Burglaries and fire are equally unfortunate, but our stance as security and safety advocates is that we should all take preventative measures to prevent both. Besides that, we should come prepared if the unfortunate happens.

Residential fires claimed 2,890 lives in 2023.1 It’s easy to think that won’t happen to you. The reality is that a single unattended candle or a grease fire can completely change your life in seconds. That’s why we’ve put together these essential tips. They’re not just recommendations. They’re practices that could save your family.

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How to Prevent Home Fires

We always say in our home security reviews that while detection is one of the core functions of security systems, we should always take preventative measures first. Sure, a DIY security system with smoke alarms can alert you the moment a fire starts to break out, but wouldn’t it be better if fire didn’t break out at all? If we can limit and control the leading causes of home fires,1 it’s less likely that we’ll ever have to go through the stress of putting one out.

We get it. These safety tips might feel overwhelming at first. But trust us, once you make them part of your routine, they feel as natural as locking your door when you leave. It’s all about building those habits.

Fire Safety Hazards in the Home

Cooking and heating are at the top of the home fire hazards list. Be attentive in the kitchen, keep kids and pets away from heaters and candles, and try to incorporate these practices into your home life.

When cooking:

• Stay in the kitchen whenever something is frying, grilling, boiling, or broiling.
• For anything that takes longer, like baking, roasting, or simmering, we recommend setting a timer for every 20 minutes. We use our phone’s recurring timer feature for this.
• Don’t use the oven or the stove when you’re sleepy or under the influence of alcohol.
• Keep flammable objects at least 3 feet away from the stovetop.

When heating your home:

• Only buy space heaters with UL certification and tip-over protection. These features are now standard in newer models. We recommend placing them on hard, level surfaces. They should never be on rugs or carpets.
• Never leave a space heater or a fireplace unattended. Make sure to turn off space heaters and extinguish all embers before leaving rooms.
• Keep flammable objects and objects made of light materials like wood, paper, and fabric at least 3 feet away from space heaters or fireplaces

Other leading home fire risks:

• Never smoke inside the home. Research shows smoking materials caused 13,900 home fires in a single year.2 It’s also one of the highest contributions to death rates per fire of any cause.
• Switch to flameless candles. If you must use candles with a flame, never leave them unattended, and be sure to extinguish them before leaving a room.
• Replace all cords that have frayed or bare wires. Electrical equipment is the third major cause of home fires and the leading cause of property damage.
• Keep matches and lighters away from children. Store them safely and securely, preferably somewhere high up and/or with a lock.
• Keep pets safe by not placing space heaters or candles within their reach.

Smoke Alarms

Smoke are critical early warning systems for fire prevention in the home, and most states require them by law. The most important thing about smoke alarms is that, even if the home burns, they are often the reason everyone escapes the home safely. The placement and maintenance of smoke alarms are key to maximize their value and effectiveness in the home. It’s hard to overstate how important smoke alarms are for protecting life and limb, so try to remember that next time one of your smoke alarms starts chirping at 3 a.m. to signal a low battery!

>> Related: How to Stop a Smoke Alarm From Chirping

Where to install smoke alarms:

• Install smoke alarms inside every bedroom, outside every sleeping area, and on every floor of the home, including basements.
• Keep smoke alarms at least 10 feet away from kitchens in order to prevent false alarms.
• Place fire alarms on the ceiling or high up on walls near the ceiling.
• Use a home security system with interconnected smoke alarms and other environmental sensors. Some modern systems connect to your Wi-Fi. This way you can receive instant alerts to your phone no matter where you are.
• People who are deaf or hard of hearing should install smoke alarms with strobe lights and bed shakers.

How to maintain smoke alarms:

• Test your smoke alarms at least once a month.
• Replace batteries twice a year. We do ours when we change the clocks for daylight saving time. This makes it easy for us to remember. You should replace the batteries in your carbon monoxide detectors at the same time. Google Nest offers Nest Protect, a combined smoke and CO detector that works with the Nest Secure system, for example.
• Completely replace smoke alarms that are 10 years old or older.

What to Do if a Fire Starts

When a fire starts, you have about two minutes to escape. There’s no time to grab valuables or think about what to do next. This is why preparation is critical. You need to know how to use your extinguisher and have multiple escape routes memorized. We’ll explain in more detail below, but what’s important here is knowing your way around both a fire extinguisher and your home. Every door and window should be considered an exit option if possible.

Fire Extinguishers

A properly maintained fire extinguisher can stop a small fire in its tracks. The key word is “small.” We recommend having at least one on every level of your home. Our extinguishers are in the kitchen and garage. To make sure that the extinguishers will work when you need them, follow the steps below.

How to choose and store a fire extinguisher:

1. We recommend a multipurpose ABC extinguisher with a rating of at least 2-A:10-B:C. This can handle most home fires including grease, electrical, and ordinary combustibles.
2. Make sure that your fire extinguishers are properly charged by using the gauge or test button to check the pressure.
3. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to replace or recharge your fire extinguishers.
4. Install the extinguishers near an exit, away from heat sources and high enough up on the wall that adults can access them but not small children.
5. Review the instructions once a year, since there won’t be time to learn how to use your extinguishers in the event of a fire.

Before using a fire extinguisher:

1. Check that everyone else is out of or leaving the home.
2. Make sure someone has already called the fire department.
3. Confirm that the fire is small and not spreading, with very little smoke.
4. Keep your back to an exit that you can use quickly.

How to use a fire extinguisher:

1. Follow the PASS system:
   1. Pull the pin.
   2. Aim low at the base of the fire.
   3. Squeeze the handle slowly.
   4. Sweep the nozzle side to side.
2. If you follow the PASS system and the fire does not die down immediately, drop the extinguisher and get out of the house.

Fire Escape Plan

Modern homes tend to burn faster. The synthetic materials in furniture and construction mean fires spread eight times faster than they did 40 years ago. In most cases, you only have two minutes to exit the home. A home security system with professional emergency response monitoring like ADT can make sure the fire department is alerted, but that doesn’t keep everyone safe as the fire spreads. Learn more about ADT’s pricing for professional monitoring.

We recommend creating and practicing an escape plan. Make it serious enough that everyone pays attention, but not so scary that it traumatizes the kids. We stress the importance of being prepared, just like we practice what to do during storms.

How to make a home fire escape plan:

1. Have at least two ways out of each room.
2. Make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily.
3. Identify secondary routes outside (windows leading to adjacent rooftops, collapsible ladders deployed from upper-story windows, etc.).
4. Establish a designated meeting space outside that is a safe distance away from the building.
5. If you live in a multistory building, always plan on using the stairs or the fire escape, never an elevator.

Practice:

• With everyone in the household both at night and during the day, twice a year
• Testing door handles to check if they’re hot before opening them
• Closing doors behind you
• The “stop, drop, and roll” method, for if you catch fire
• Getting out, closing your eyes, covering your mouth, and crawling low to the floor

Teach children:

• To never hide during a fire
• How to get out on their own if nobody can help them

Recap

Fire safety isn’t about living in fear. It’s about being smart and prepared. We recommend starting with the basics. Minimize risks from cooking and heating, maintain your smoke detectors religiously, and have working fire extinguishers ready to go. Most importantly, practice your escape plan until it becomes second nature. These simple steps don’t require a lot of effort, but they offer maximum protection for your family.