Wednesday, January 2, 2019

2019 Fire Safety Tips To Keep Your Home Safe

New Year's Fire Safety Resolution: Stay Safe from Home Fires


Whatever kind of ride the current year gave you, whether it be smooth, bumpy, depressive or ecstatic, New Year’s Eve presents us with an opportunity for a send off party to year that you hopefully loved.

Fireworks, champagne and midnight smooching are perfect ways to watch the year die off while welcoming a new year full of positivity and possibilities. No matter what your responsible plans for the New Year may be, it’s without a doubt that on NYE, we all plan to have some fun. Lots of it. Only about 78% of that fun will be responsible fun.

This kind of fun often requires us to leave the house in a frenzy to meet up with friends and family, so it’s important not to get reckless when it comes to lights and appliances. We know you’re probably running late, but leaving on lights, the iron, hairdryers, curling irons, straighteners, and other appliances is a real fire hazard. Just the thought of it puts a damper on your festivities, right?





Here in Los Angeles, we love to party. We also love fire safety. So, here are a few tips to keep those pesky lurking fire hazards from ruining your New Year fun.

Electrical appliances are convenient, as is electricity itself. Thanks, Benjamin Franklin. However, electrical home fires are a leading cause of home fires in the U.S. 

According to the NFPA, roughly half of all home electrical fires involved electrical distribution or lighting equipment, while nearly another half involved other known types of equipment like washer or dryer fans, and portable or stationary space heaters.

To stay safe with your electrical appliances on NYE and every single day:
  • Use a light bulb with the right number of watts. There are usually stickers on the bulbs that indicate the right number of watts.
  • Use ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) to reduce the risk of shock. GFCIs shut off an electrical circuit when it becomes a shock hazard. GCFIs should be installed inside the home in bathrooms, kitchens, garages and basements. Also, all outdoor receptacles should be GFCI protected.
Construction worker wearing hard hat using an electric saw to cut lumber. As electricity flows through the cord, the ground-fault circuit interrupter shuts off the power, keeping the worker from being harmed by the electric current.
Source: osha.gov

  • Have Arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) installed in your home. They shut off electricity when a dangerous condition occurs. 
  • Plug major appliances such as refrigerators, dryers, washers, stoves, air conditioners, microwave ovens, etc. directly into a wall receptacle outlet. Extension cords and plug strips should not be used.
  • Plug only one heat-producing appliance, like a space heater, into a receptacle outlet at a time. 
  • Turn off, unplug and store away moveable beauty appliances, like hair dryers, after use.
  • Never use your oven to heat your home no matter how bone-biting the winter cold gets.
  • Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed. Two words: thick blankets.
  • Remember also to turn off all lights and electrical appliances before rushing out for the New Year’s Eve celebration.
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