Repentigny may only be a suburb of Montreal, but it does offer stellar firefighter services. On the night of August 8, 2017, a fire broke out in a Repentigny home. The local firefighters were assisted by additional firefighters from Terrebonne and Montcalm. The fire started from outside and no one was in residence at the time. The firefighters were able to rescue two huskies from the basement. It’s this kind of excellent services that make real estate in Repentigny even more attractive to potential homebuyers.
However, regardless of where you live you need to practice proper fire safety for your home. These tips can help you get started:
- Install alarms. Despite all your fire safety precautions, accidents can still happen. That’s why it’s crucial that you install smoke alarms for each house level. Buy reputable smoke alarms, and then have them inspected monthly so that you’re sure they’re in perfect working order. Replace the batteries at least once a year. Replace the smoke alarms every 10 years. Of course, you also have to teach the little kids that the smoke alarm means they need to get out of the house quickly.
- Practice proper kitchen fire safety. Take the various flammable objects you’re your paper towels, pot holders, and dish towels away from all your heat sources. While you’re cooking with heat (including using your microwave), it’s a good idea to just stay there so you can monitor what’s going on. This can help you keep away the kids and pets that can come in and make a mess of things.
- Be careful with heaters. Improper use of heaters is one of the most common causes of house fires. If you’re not careful where you put your portable electric heaters, you may end up setting your window curtains on fire. The basic rule with heaters is that there should be nothing within 3 feet of the heater. This means no furniture, bedspreads, and draperies near the heater. You also need pros to inspect your central heating equipment once a year.
- Chimneys can be dangerous. Sure, a fireplace and chimney can really add to the charm of your home. But you need to make sure that your chimney is always in proper shape. This means you need to have it professionally inspected at least once a year, so that problems can be identified right away and you can make the necessary repairs.
- Be careful with your electrical stuff.It shouldn’t come asa surprise that your electrical system can be a major cause of concern for fires. So perhaps you should have an electrician inspect your electrical system so that any potential fire hazards can be detected.
You can minimize the risk by using protectors to cover all your electrical outlets. You need to have any frayed wires replaced, as they can cause accidental sparks that can lead to a house fire.
Check all the electrical cords of your electric gadgets. If you find any loose or wobbly plugs, get them replaced right away. The same goes for any fuses that need replacement.
- Candles aren’t just romantic. Yes, it can help with your romantic date setting, but you may want to address the danger of the open flame. If you have to use them, watch over them carefully and don’t let children light them. When you’re done using them for your dinner, put them out properly.
It’s just not a good idea to use them in your bedroom, as there are too many flammable objects inside. Instead, you should just use battery operated candles. You get the atmosphere without the fire hazard!
- Plan a fire escape procedure for your family. They should have a standard operating procedure of what to do in case of fire. You should practice this once or twice a year so that your kids will learn.
Sometimes you may do nothing wrong, and a fire can still break out. Still, you should practice fire safety everyday—it may just save your life.
