Have You Ever Wondered Why There Are So Many More Fires Around The Winter Months?

12/30/2021 (Permalink)

Fire prevention is not something you can put off, or that you can get around to doing when you have the time.

Why Are There So Many More Fires Around The Winter Months...

1st off with less daylight available people are turning there indoor lights on much earlier and using more of them for longer periods. 2nd people are using electric blankets and space heaters often on under designed circuits then what is required. 3rd the physical wood structure of a home becomes drier or moister which can contribute to electrical fires under the right conditions. 4th holidays bring with them a vast array of decorations etc that also help to increase the electrical load on circuits that may already be showing signs of deterioration. 5th poor judgment by residents who ignore warning signs and do not follow recommended codes and safety rules.

Then there are electric blankets, a great way to warm up a bed in a cold room. But they also contribute to many fires when allowed to get old and brittle and or damaged by being put under a doorway, rug furniture or get damaged by a pet. 

But as a homeowner, you have to keep on top of things, too.

The No. 1 priority: Have working smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. (About a quarter of all house fires start in the bedroom.) And test them! You should test your smoke alarms every month — no exceptions — and change the batteries twice a year.

You have to make sure your home’s electrical system can safely handle the extra load, because it’s way too easy for bad wiring to cause an electrical fire. In fact, most home fires are caused by poorly maintained electrical and heating/cooling systems. So get them checked by the right pros!

Have your home’s electrical system checked at least every four years, and if you bought a house that’s 15 years old or older, bring in a licensed electrical contractor as soon as possible, especially if the basement is finished. Too many homeowners think they can do their own electrical, and unfortunately, many of them have done. How do you know if everything is up to code? If there’s knob-and-tube wiring? Or aluminum wiring mixed with copper? Or if the person who did the work knew what they were doing?

Have a licensed electrical contractor do an audit of the entire house. They’ll make sure all the electrical work is up to code and that all the connections are tight.

Fire prevention is not something you can put off, or that you can get around to doing when you have the time. Because the truth is, we don’t know when a fire can start in a home, and then it’s too late.

Keep safe, make it right and please, folks, make sure all your smoke alarms are working … today!