Fire Safety Checklist for Home

Handling a tough situation needs some practice before hand, if it is to be handled properly. Similarly handling fire in home also requires some homework. Some inspection and practice is requires which will take not more than twenty minutes everyday. Firstly, a checklist should be made which requires questions to be answered to after thoroughly inspecting every corner of the home. 

The very first room of the house which is pose extreme fire threat to house is the kitchen. The checklist for the kitchen is:

• Is the kitchen occupied by grown ups when food is being cooked on the stove?
• Are the counters and stove tops uncluttered and clean?
• Are the pot holders in reachable distance of the stove?
• When cooking, are the handles of the pots turned inwards so that nobody bumps into them?
• Are curtains and other loose fabric away from the stove?
• Is there an area of three feet surrounding the stove which is a kids free zone when adults are cooking?
• Are the electrical appliances in the kitchen, such as toaster oven, blenders, food processors, coffee makers, and microwave plugged into different receptacle outlets?

The second threat to the house is the heating system. The checklist for the heating system is:

• When there is no one at home or when adults go to sleep are the heaters turned off always?
• Are the heaters placed at a distance of one meter away from everything such as furniture, people, and pets, especially material which can burn easily?
• Is the fireplace equipped with a sturdy screen in order to catch the sparks?
• Is the chimney been cleaned and inspected every year?
• Is the furnace been cleaned and inspected every year?
• Are the propane tanks and fuels stored outside the house?
• Has the family practiced the home fire drill in the past six months?
• Does everyone in the household has knowledge about the fire department’s emergency phone number, which needs to be dialed from the neighbor’s phone since everyone has to evacuate the house in case of fire?

Electrical gadgets and electric circuits are also dangerous if not handled properly. To check them, here is the check list:

• Are the extension cords laid safely and not across the doorways or under the carpet?
• Are the electrical cords in excellent condition and not worn out, cracked or frayed?
• Do the grown ups of the house unplugs electrical appliances, even such as lamps, after using them?

Smoke alarms and fire extinguishers must be installed on every floor of the house. The check list for this purpose is:

• Are there smoke alarms installed on every level of the house, including the attic or basement and also outside every sleeping area?
• Are the smoke alarm batteries working in all of them? 
• Are the smoke alarms tested by pressing the test button by a grown up?
• Are there more than one exit in the house?
• Are all the home exits clear of furniture, clutter, and toys?
• Is there home fire escape plan which also includes two exits? The two exits can consist of door and windows? 
• Is the decision being made about an outside safe place to meet after exiting the home?

If all the questions of every checklist are answered as yes then the house and the family members are ready to face fire accidents. If the answer is yes to fifteen to twenty questions then few adjustments are needed to be made to ensure safety in case of fire emergencies. And only ten to fourteen questions are answered as yes, then the family members need to double up and put in extra effort in order to be hit a fire safety home run. If less than ten questions are answered as yes, then the whole house needs to be revamped in order to make it a safe place to live in. Not only do the adults of the house need to get trained but also the children. If there is a pet in the house, it also needs to be included in the plan.