Maintain A Fire Safe Home This Christmas Season
Christmas Tree Fires Thirty-six percent of home Christmas tree structure fires occurred on the ten days between December 24 and January 2 Electrical problems were factors in nearly half (45%) of home Christmas tree structure fires A heat source was too close to the Christmas tree in one quarter (26%) of the fires Twenty-three percent of home Christmas tree fires involved decorative lights Candles started 14% of home Christmas tree structure fires. Half of all home Christmas tree fires started in the living room, family room, or den An average of 460 outside or unclassified Christmas tree fires occurred on home properties. Fifty-nine percent occurred in January; 86% were intentionally set Holiday or Decorative Light Fires Line-voltage holiday or decorative lights or were involved in an average of 170 home structure fires per year, resulting in an average of 7 civilian deaths, 17 civilian injuries, and $7.9 million in direct property damage Forty-two percent of these fires were reported in December and 13% occurred in January In one-fifth (21%) of these fires, Christmas trees were the item first ignited. Electrical problems were factors in 67% of these fires. Something that could burn was too close to the lights in 10% of the fires. Roughly 5,800 people per year were treated at hospital emergency rooms for falls associated with holiday decorations The following fire safety tips can help you maintain a fire-safe home this Christmas season Tips For Preventing Residential Fires · Install smoke alarms on every floor of the home, including the basement, and particularly near rooms in which people sleep. · Test all smoke alarms every month to ensure they work properly. · Devise a family fire escape plan and practice it every 6 months. In the plan, describe at least two different ways each family member can escape every room, and designate a safe place in front of the home for family members to meet after escaping a fire. · Select a fresh Christmas tree that is kept in water at all times. Needles on fresh trees should be green and should not fall off easily. Don’t put your tree up too early or leave it up longer than two weeks. Dried out Christmas trees can ignite easily and boost a fire by spreading it rapidly to nearby combustible materials. · Place your Christmas tree in a safe place, away from heat sources such as a fireplace or heat vent. · Maintain your holiday lights. Inspect your lights before you use them to ensure they don’t have frayed wires, gaps in the insulation, broken or cracked sockets or excessive wear. Only use lighting that is listed by an approved testing laboratory and don’t leave the lights on when you’re not home. · Avoid overloading electrical outlets. Don’t link more than three light strands unless the directions indicate it is safe. Periodically check the wires. They should not be warm to the touch. · Use only nonflammable decorations that are placed away from heat vents and if you’re using an artificial tree, make sure that it’s flame retardant. · Avoid using candles. If you do use candles, ensure they are in stable holders and place them where they cannot be easily knocked down. · Do not leave lit candles unattended, never put candles on a Christmas tree and never leave the house with candles burning. Place menorahs away from vents or flammable materials. · It’s also important to know that fires caused by children increase during the holiday season. According to our National Fire Incident Reporting System, children cause nearly 60 house fires a day in mid-December, with...
Read MoreThere’s A Lot More To Smoke Damage Than Meets The Eye
Fire Damage Repair MN | Smoke Damage Repair and Restoration MN
Fire restoration can be quite complicated. It’s important to have an experienced restoration team on your side. An immediate treatment will help reduce health hazards and simplify any additional cleanup.
Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration MN
Fire Damage Repair MN | Fire Damage Restoration Minnesota
It is important to have an experienced restoration team on your side. An immediate treatment will help reduce health hazards and simplify any additional cleanup.
Fire | Smoke Damage Repair and Restoration MN
24 Hour Fire Damage Restoration Losing your property to a fire is a devastating. It is not only a major damage to your home or building, but it is also an emotional nightmare. Even minor damages caused by a fire are difficult to deal with. Regardless of the size of the damage, it is important to have your property evaluated in order to determine whether any possessions or pieces of the structure are salvageable. If you ever experience a fire, the first action you must take is to call your insurance company. They will send an adjuster immediately. It is important to know what your insurance policy covers. When the adjuster arrives, discuss what is covered by the insurance and keep documentation of everything. The next step is to contact trained technicians that specialize in fire and smoke damage restoration. These specialists know where and how to check for smoke as it moves around the entire structure. Smoke can go through the plumbing systems Smoke moves to cooler areas of the property and upper levels Smoke comes in various types, resulting in different types of damage. Your specialized technician will then test for the type of smoke that resulted from the fire. These include wet smoke, dry smoke, protein, fuel oil soot and other forms. Once the smoke is identified, the technician will perform the following: Determine what can be restored Determine what can be replaced What type of cleaning method should be used Determine the full extent of loss Eliminate Smoke Damage and odor Benefits of Fire Damage Restoration In the event of a fire, your first worry is that you have suffered losses and you want to know what items can be restored. Fire damage cleanup specialists understand your concerns and are there to help. The technicians come equipped with the latest equipment to restore your property. Specialists have all the knowledge and procedures for restoration The goal of every fire damage cleanup specialist is to restore as many items in order to minimize the number of losses. The process of cleaning up after a fire is a complex one but there are a number of companies who offer extensive variety of services including emergency pre-cleaning, smoke odor removal, deodorization, air cleaning, floor cleaning, debris removal, carpet cleaning, etc. Fires can damage an entire structure or can result in small smoke damages. For many, fire damage is tragic but there are people willing to help. The goal of every fire damage restoration specialist is to save your possessions because that is all that matters. If you have been a victim of a fire and you need fire damage restoration services, contact a fire damage restoration professional today. Has your home been damaged by water, smoke, or fire? Contact a Restoration and Repair expert...
Read MoreDon’t Let A Fire Ruin Your Thanksgiving!
Holiday Fire Safety Thanksgiving remains the leading day for cooking fires, with three times as many cooking fires as an average day. That’s according to statistics by the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), which also found that cooking equipment fires are still the leading cause of U.S. home fires and fire injuries, and the third leading cause of fire deaths. On Thanksgiving 2008, U.S. fire departments responded to 1,300 home cooking fires compared to 420 such fires on an average day. According to NFPA, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated annual average of 154,700 home structure fires involving cooking equipment between 2004 and 2008. These fires caused an average of 460 civilian deaths, 4,850 reported civilian fire injuries, and $724 million in direct property damage. Overall, these incidents accounted for two of every five (41%) reported home fires, 17% of home fire deaths, more than one-third (37%) of home fire injuries, and 11% of the direct property damage resulting from home fires. Three of every five people (59%) injured in a cooking fire were hurt when they tried to fight the fire themselves Thanksgiving is a holiday of feasting, but it’s also a day of intense cooking, when stove tops and ovens are working overtime. These culinary activities bring an increased risk of fire particularly when people are trying to prepare several dishes while entertaining friends and family. Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in cooking equipment fires. Ranges or cook tops were involved in the majority (59%) of home cooking fire incidents; ovens accounted for 16%. Clothing was the item first ignited in less than 1% of these fires, but these incidents accounted 15% of the cooking fire deaths. Done Right would like to urge Minnesota homeowners to use caution when preparing your Thanksgiving dinner this year. Have A Safe & Happy...
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