It’s Fire Prevention Week. Is Your Home Ready?
Oct 6, 2020, 9:09 AM | Updated: 9:25 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The cold weather will be on its way before long, and that means you’ll be firing up different ways to heat your home.
That can be dangerous, so you have to be cautious and get prepared now.
Dave White with The Home Depot said they work with the fire prevention experts to keep you and your family safe.
One of the top things to check out is your fireplace and your chimney.
Space heaters also cause house fires every year.
Fires that originate in the kitchen are always a cause for concern.
Dryer vents can be a hidden problem to spot in your home.
White also demonstrated the correct way to use a fire extinguisher: Just remember the word “PASS.”
“‘P-A-S-S’ for ‘pull,’ pull the pin,” he said. “‘Aim’ at the base of the fire. ‘S’ for ‘squeeze,’ which is squeeze the trigger or the handle. And the other ‘S’ is for ‘sweep,’ so you sweep it back and forth at the base of the fire until the fire’s extinguished.”
Fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in homes are important.
In a recent five-year period, firefighters in the U.S. responded to more than 350,000 fires per year. More than 2,600 people died in those fires, as well.
Nearly 50% of the fires were caused by cooking accidents, and another 15% were from heating issues.