How to protect your home from a fire

There are an estimated 346,800 house fires each year. The five leading causes for home fires are cooking, heating, electrical distribution and lighting equipment, intentional fire setting, and smoking materials. Taking the following measures can help protect your home and family from a fire.

Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. More than one third of home fire deaths result from fires in which no smoke alarms are present. You should have a working smoke detector on every floor and in every bedroom. Test the detectors once a month to make sure they’re working. (Many have a “test” button that you can press to check the batteries.) Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years from the device’s date of manufacture. (Note: Most carbon monoxide detectors expire after seven years, so if you have a combo smoke and CO alarm, you should replace it every seven years. )

Learn how to use a fire extinguisher. It’s a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher on each floor of your home, since a fire can occur anywhere (not just in the kitchen). Choose the right model: Class A fire extinguishers are designed to put out cloth, wood, and paper fires; Class B are for oil, grease, and gas fires; and Class C are for electrical fires. Class ABC models work on all three fires.

Proper training is a must. (What good is a fire extinguisher if you don’t know how to use it?) Fire experts recommend using the PASS technique:

Pull the pin. Hold the extinguisher with the nozzle pointing away from you and release the locking mechanism

Aim low. Point the extinguisher at the base of the fire.

Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly.

Sweep the nozzle from side-to-side.

Moreover, a good rule of thumb: replace fire extinguishers every 12 years.

Consider installing a home sprinkler system. In homes with sprinklers, deaths from fires are cut by nearly 90 percent and injuries by almost 30 percent. Budget accordingly: installing a residential fire sprinkler system typically costs between $214 and $1,042, depending on a home's square footage, age, and construction materials.

Have an evacuation plan. Create a fire escape plan for all members of your household so that your family can evacuate your home safely if a fire occurs. Rehearse the evacuation plan twice a year so that it stays fresh in everyone’s mind.

Check your home insurance coverage. Most standard home insurance policies cover fire and smoke damage. But for additional layers of protection, consider upgrading your home insurance policy to Electric Insurance’s Homeowners Plus policy or Premier Choice policy. These coverage packages off two very-hard-to-find features: Additional Rebuilding Expense Coverage and personal property claims paid without reducing the claim payment based on the item’s age and condition.

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