Household fires can vary drastically in size. A lot of it has to do with the cause of the fire and its location within your home. There are some instances when, as long as you know what to do, acting quickly can mean the difference between items being minorly singed or completely destroyed. For example, if you are cooking on a gas stove and a towel gets too close and catches fire, odds are, if you are in the room at the time, you can put it out yourself. Whether that means pouring water over it, stamping it out, using an extinguisher, or another method, it will likely not be anything you cannot handle. If you experience a fire that is too large to manage on your own and you would be putting yourself at risk, evacuate and call the fire department.

If you do not have one or both of these items, you need to get them immediately. There are countless cases out there where people have tragically lost their lives because, by the time they realized there was a fire, they were trapped. The truth is that many fire deaths can be avoided with functioning smoke detectors in every room of the house. Another important thing to have in your home is a fire extinguisher in a centrally located place. Fire extinguishers are powerful tools that can quickly and effectively stop a fire. Once you have a fire extinguisher on hand, teach each member of your family that would be equipped to handle one how to properly use it. These could make a real difference in an emergency.

If you experience a house fire that is too large to contain yourself and you’re forced to evacuate, do you have a plan? Do your kids know what to do? Do they know 9-1-1? This is not meant to scare you – it’s intended to prepare you. We don’t think these emergencies will happen to us until they do, and all too often we’re not ready to face them. Sit down with your family and talk about escape routes from your home, where you would meet if you got separated, and other important details of a fire evacuation. That way, your entire family will have a plan in place should a fire ever occur.

At Restoration 1 of Central Maryland, we want you to be prepared for anything that comes your way. We want you to be safe, proactive, and confident that we will always be there if anything happens. If you have a fire, big or small, we are experts in fire and smoke damage restoration and will be able to repair your home back to how it was before the incident. Call us today. We serve Eldersburg and the surrounding communities.