How to Keep Your Home Safe

In a few weeks most of the US will be turning our clocks back. That is a great time to change and check your smoke detector batteries. What else can we do to make sure our house is safe?

Fire Extinguishers – A fire extinguisher should be placed in the kitchen, of course, but also on every floor in your home. If you barbeque outside, you should also have one nearby in case flames get out of hand. The other important point to make is to not only have them on hand but to also know how to use them. Did you know that there is an expiration date on fire extinguishers? Make note of this by clearly labeling the expiration date with a black marker.

Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors – Check with your fire department to find out where these detectors need to be located in your home. Know the difference between the sound of each detector so that when they go off you are aware if the alarm signals fire or carbon monoxide. Not only should you check the batteries, but also clean the grille, if your unit has one, of dust for optimum detection.

Burglarproofing – Is your home safe when you aren’t there? Do you have a sturdy deadbolt on all the doors leading to the outside? For those of you that have an alarm system, do you have signs advertising you are using an alarm system? Look at your landscaping and make sure shrubs and bushes are trimmed and not blocking windows. Make sure tree limbs aren’t too close to an upper floor window to act as a ladder to that window. When you are away, set timers on lamps so that the house isn’t dark all the time. And stop mail delivery, keep lawns mowed and driveways plowed when you are traveling.

These may seem obvious, but are you doing all you can to keep your house safe?

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