Need-To-Know Home Safety Tips

 

Many home security and home safety tips are simply common sense. However, these tips are so simple that they’re often the last to be carried through. People are continuously seeking the latest technologies to keep their home and families safe and secure, their home security at top notch, but being reminded and practicing the easily forgotten basics and learning new tips can help avoid a dangerous situation or unexpected accidents, including fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, and child safety.

Carbon Monoxide Safety at Home

1. Know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning and don’t ignore them: confusion, headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness. If you suspect CO poisoning, get outside to fresh air immediately, then call 911.
2. Any fuel-burning appliance can emit carbon monoxide gas, be sure such appliances are vented directly to the outside and keep fresh air circulating in your home.
3. Install battery-operated CO alarms with battery backup in your home outside separate sleeping areas.
4. Open the fireplace damper before lighting a fire and keep it open until all the ashes are cool, even the ones buried below. An open damper may help prevent build-up of poisonous gases inside the home.
5. Never use portable generators inside homes or garages, even if doors and windows are open. Use generators outside only, as far away from the house as possible.
6. Have your heating system checked for carbon monoxide emissions before the heating season begins. Check your kitchen range, fireplaces and water heater for carbon monoxide emissions when you change your clocks back.
7. If you have a wood-burning fireplace, have the chimney professionally cleaned and inspected annually, slightly open a window to allow proper airflow, while keeping the damper open until the fire is completely out.
8. Never run your car engine for more than a few moments in a garage or other enclosed area, even if the door is open.
9. Do not use an oven to heat your house, even for a short period of time.
10. Never burn charcoal inside the house or in any enclosed area.

Fire Safety at Home

1. Make a fire escape plan for your family. Find at least one exit out of every room. Pick a meeting place outside. The only way this is effective is if your whole family practices it once a year.  Like they say “practice makes perfect”.
2. Install smoke alarms in every room of your home. Install both ionization and photoelectric-type smoke alarms for the best detection and notification protection.
3. Test smoke detectors monthly and change batteries once a year, whether they are dead or not. A rule of thumb is to replace them when you have to change the clocks either back or forward.
4. Learn how to use a fire extinguisher and make sure all family members know how to use it as well.
5. Home sprinkler systems are now commonly installed in new homes or home remodeling.
6. Minimize the use of extension cords, specifically cords used to power room air conditioners.
7. Do not over plug electrical outlets. Although there may still be extra outlets for plugs to use, this does not mean they should be used.
8. Grills, charcoal or gas, should never be brought into the house or garage for heating, cooling  or cooking.
9. Have home heating systems (including chimneys and vents) inspected and serviced annually by a trained service technician.
10. Store firewood and other combustibles away from your home, and keep the lid on your trashcan.
11. Post your address prominently to make sure firefighters can find your house if a residential fire alarm is triggered.
12. Maintain your landscape to eliminate dead vegetation that could catch fire and use fire-resistant plants.
13. Use the correct light bulb wattage as instructed on the light fixture. Higher wattage bulbs can degrade the wires in and around the fixture.
14. Read all manufactures’ instructions and directions for any heating appliance, whether is it a toaster, space heater, iron, hair curls, etc.
15. Never leave a dryer running while not home. Clogged link can spark and start a fire.

General Home and Children Safety Tips

1. Know basic first-aid skills and take a CPR class.  
2. Post emergency numbers in visible and accessible areas. This should include 9-1-1, local police and fire company, and the National Poison Control Hotline Number (1-800-222-1222).
3. Always turn pot and panhandles on the stove into the center, out of reach from children and where they cannot be accidently tipped over.
4. Never leave the kitchen while cooking; this leaves stoves, ovens, and knives unattended.
5. Show family members how to put out a pan fire by sliding a lid over the flames or throw baking soda on the flames.
6. Teach children how to lift lids or plastic wrap off of hot food to prevent steam burns.
7. Clearly label and store house cleaners, chemicals, matches and lighters in a locked cabinet.
8. Set your water heater at 120 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Dishwashers have an internal heating ability to wash dishes.
9. When your children play outside, be sure they know exactly what their physical boundaries are and how to react to strangers.
10. Make sure your children memorize their full names, address including city and state, and phone number with area code.
11. Using a play phone, teach children when and how to dial 911 or 0 and also show them how to operate a pay phone.
12. Explain to your children that they should never accept gifts or rides from people they don't know well.
13. Teach your children to go to a store clerk, security officer or police officer if they ever get lost in a store or mall or on the street.
14. Set a good example by locking doors and windows and checking to see who it is before opening a door.
15. Listen to what your children say about their fears and help them understand them and trust their instincts.
16. Mark regularly used settings on appliances (microwave, oven, and washer/dryer) with a sticker or other semi-permanent marking.
17. Store medicine in a different area than your food and use large-print or color-coded labels on medications. Buy pill organizers and childproof pill bottles.
18. Remove throw rugs or use non-skid rubber backing to keep rugs from sliding causing people to trip, especially children and elderly.
19. Use non-skid/non-slip rubber mats in showers and tubs.
20. Teach children to not reveal on the phone or at the door that no adults are home, but to instead say their parents are too busy to come to the phone or door.