October is Fire Safety Month. With cooler weather the Canadian plains — and Thanksgiving this month — now is the time to protect against fire risks.
Here are our Top 10 fire prevention tips:
- Watch your cooking: Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you must leave, even for a short time, turn off the stove.
- Give space heaters space: Keep fixed and portable space heaters at least three feet from anything that can burn. Turn off heaters when you leave the room or go to sleep.
- Smoke outside: Ask smokers to smoke outside. Have sturdy, deep ashtrays for smokers.
- Keep matches and lighters out of reach: Keep matches and lighters up high, out of the reach of children, preferably in a cabinet with a child lock.
- Inspect electrical cords: Replace cords that are cracked, damaged, have broken plugs, or have loose connections.
- Be careful when using candles: Keep candles at least one foot from anything that can burn. Blow out candles when you leave the room or go to sleep.
- Have a home fire escape plan: Make a home fire escape plan and practice it at least twice a year.
- Install smoke alarms: Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Interconnect smoke alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
- Test smoke alarms: Test smoke alarms at least once a month and replace conventional batteries once a year or when the alarm "chirps" to tell you the battery is low. Replace any smoke alarm that is more than 10 years old.
- Install sprinklers: If you are building or remodeling your home, install residential fire sprinklers. Sprinklers can contain and may even extinguish a fire in less time than it would take the fire department to arrive.
Make sure you're financially protected as well. Call Heritage Insurance LTD at (800) 667-7640 for a free Moose Jaw SK home insurance quote.