October has been dedicated as National Fire Prevention Month across the United States. National Fire Prevention Month is a time to make sure that your home is best prepared to prevent fires and protect you from accidents. One great way to save yourself from preventable fires is by having home inspections performed regularly! Rather than simply having one before buying a house, regular home inspections can help you prevent fires and other safety concerns by noticing issues before they become a problem.
Common Causes of House Fires
The leading cause of house fires in the United States is unattended cooking or accidents in the kitchen. While this cannot be prevented by a home inspection, it can be prevented by maintained awareness! When cooking, it is important to stay near food at all times, just in case the worst happens. Otherwise, it’s important to have a smoke detector nearby and a fire extinguisher to minimize damage if a fire were to break out.
Another main cause of house fires, especially as we approach cooler weather, is heaters. Heaters, when used incorrectly, pose a fire risk. You should always make sure that you are keeping flammable items an appropriate distance away from a heater to protect your home.
Overloaded electrical boards also pose a significant risk to start a fire. Circumvent this risk by spreading out plugs throughout outlets and utilizing power boards with overload protection. During a home inspection, we can help identify areas of risk of overloading.
Finally, faulty wiring can easily lead to a preventable fire from occurring. Faulty wiring should only be fixed by a trained professional to prevent the risk of injury or fire.
How You Can Prevent House Fires
This October and every month, you can prevent fires from occurring in your house through a few simple steps:
- Always remain close to the kitchen when cooking. Never leave food unattended while on the stove or in the oven.
- Ensure that smoke detectors are working properly and positioned as needed throughout the house.
- Hire AmeriSpec to perform a home inspection to check for electrical boards at risk of overloading and faulty wiring.
Home inspections can save you and your home from preventable fires. Here at AmeriSpec, we not only perform home inspections when buying a new home, but we suggest having them performed at regular intervals to check for anything that may become a problem in the future. Give us a call today at 952-854-5110 or contact us to learn more about what we can do for you!
