Keeping Your Basement Safe

When a fire breaks out in a home it is a terrifying event. The first concern is, of course, the safety of the family who lives in the home. Beyond that, furniture can be replaced but family heirlooms, photos, and children’s awards cannot. The family may be displaced temporarily, but in most cases, the house can be repaired or at worst be rebuilt with insurance money. Fire can be a terrible thing with horrendous results when it strikes which is why you take precautions against it.

Keep Your Basement Fire Free

• Keep a fire extinguisher handy in a location with easy access. It’s always better to put out a fire as quickly as possible if you can rather than wait for the fire department to respond.
• Smoke alarms are the most important fire prevention tool available for your home. Make sure they work properly with regular testing and replace the batteries according to the recommended schedule.
• Be aware of how you store items, especially potentially flammable ones, in the basement. Don’t put anything next to a fireplace, furnace, or water heater which could potentially flame up.
• Clean the lint not just out of your dryer’s lint filter but also from the exhaust port. Lint is highly flammable and will light when it clogs the exhaust forcing a buildup of heated air to accumulate.
• Use Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI’s) in your lighting switches to turn off power in the case of an overload. Also, make sure any electric repairs or upgrades are made by a licensed electrician according to local building and safety codes.

Don’t Depend on These Only

Before the beginning of the construction of the basement, plan a safety exit in case of fire. It is always safe to think ahead in case of emergency there should be an exit which can prevent anything bad to happen.

You can also build a small safe room as an additional safety measure which can keep you and your loved ones safe in case of a mis happening.