HOME HERO
THE BARE ESSENTIALS
THE BARE ESSENTIALS
We will locate the most important safety devices in your home.
Check SMOKE DETECTORS
Smoke Detectors!?!?! BORing!!!!! Make sure you aren’t…
Bored to Death!
The most effective way to avoid dying in a home fire is to install and maintain your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. You are twice as likely to die in a home fire if you do not have working smoke detectors.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that :
- The death rate per 1,000 reported home fires was more than twice as high in homes that did not have any working smoke alarms compared to the rate in homes with working smoke alarms (13.0 deaths vs. 5.8 deaths per 1,000 fires).
- In fires in which the smoke alarms were present but did not operate, two of every five (41%) of the smoke alarms had missing or disconnected batteries.
- Dead batteries caused one-quarter (26%) of the smoke alarm failures.
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) advises to maintain your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors properly by:
- Test all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors monthly.
- Replace all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors every ten years or earlier if recommended by manufacturer.
Watch this video from This Old House to learn about the types of smoke detectors and where to install them.
Thank you to This Old House for making this excellent video!
The exact smoke and carbon monoxide detector requirements vary from based on your local building requirements but most places require:
Smoke alarms are required as follows:
- On every habitable level of the residence.
- In the basement.
- On the ceiling at the base of each stairway leading to a floor above including the basement (but not within stairways).
- On the ceiling in each sleeping area.
- Smoke alarms cannot be more than 10 years old or exceed the manufacturer’s recommended life, whichever comes first.
- In multi-family dwellings, smoke alarms are required in common areas shared by residents.
Carbon monoxide alarms are required as follows:
- On every level of the residence, including habitable portions of basements and attics and must be located within 10 feet of each bedroom door.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for placement
Remember you can install detectors that are both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Check your local building code to see what is required in your area.
Should you install "smart" smoke detectors?
“Smart” smoke detectors that connect to your home wifi have several benefits.
1. “Smart” smoke detectors can alert you of a home fire when you are not at home so you can alert the fire department right away. This is particularly important in homes with pets or disabled occupants who cannot escape with assistance.
2. “Smart” smoke detectors are great for larger homes. The “smart” smoke detectors are linked together via your home wifi. Therefore if a fire starts in your basement, you will be alerted in your bedroom right away rather than waiting until the smoke makes its way up several floors.
3. Some ““smart” smoke detectors allow you to easily temporarily silence the alarm which is amazingly convenient if you have a smoke detector near your kitchen or a fireplace and you tend to fill the room with smoke by accident… Fun fact: The detector will still monitor the smoke level after being silenced. If the smoke continues to accumulate, the detector will eventually alert with the message “Warning, this alarm cannot be silenced ” BEEP BEEP BEEP.
Unfortunately, at $100 each, “smart” smoke detectors are more expensive than traditional smoke detectors. Just like traditional smoke detectors, “smart” smoke detectors must be replaced every 10 years. Save money by installing both “smart” and traditional smoke detectors strategically placing “smart” detectors near bedrooms, near kitchen, near dryer, in basement, and anywhere else that has higher risk or fire.
Create Your Escape Plan
In the event of a fire, you may have less than 3 minutes to escape your home. After that your home may become too hot and filled with toxic gas and smoke to escape. You and your loved ones should create and practice your escape plan every year.
Escape Plan Key Points
1.. Each person should have a defined job. Who will get your baby? Who will get your teenager?
2.. What are the escape routes from the home? All living spaces should have at least two escape routes. If parts of your home only have one escape route, purchase emergency escape window ladders and store them in the affected rooms. The two options shown here are reusable so you can practice using them during your annual escape plan exercise.
3.. Where are the fire extinguishers in your home? A handheld fire extinguisher can help you clear the path to escape. Experts recommend storing fire extinguishers in the kitchen, near the bedrooms, in any room with heating equipment or fireplace, in the garage, and one on each floor of your home. Fire extinguishers must be replaced, usually every 12 years. Confirm all your fire extinguishers are fully charged and have not expired. PLEASE NOTE: Fire extinguishers should be used to ESCAPE, not to fight the fire yourself. Firefighters have specialized equipment, breathing protection, and training that allow them to fight fire safely.
4.. Place fire blankets in your home. Fire experts recommend these as another method to contain small fires, especially cooking fires. Consider fire placing a fire blanket near cooktop, in garage, with camping supplies, and anywhere that candles are used, These typically come in a red bag that can be hung anywhere with a simple command hook.
IMPORTANT: If a fire starts inside your oven, CLOSE OVEN DOOR, turn off oven, exit the home, and call the fire department. Ideally the fire run out of oxygen in the closed oven and go out on its own. If the fire goes out on its own, leave the oven door closed! Wait for fire department to verify fire is completely extinguished. An oxygen-starved fire may look extinguished, but when the oven door is opened and oxygen is reintroduced, the fire may explosively roar back to life.
Watch this dramatic video to see this on a larger scale.
In a rush? Skip ahead to minute 6:46 to see explosion without backdraft explanation.
5.. Identify a meeting point outside your home. This will allow you to know who is safely outside and alert firefighters to anyone still inside.
6.. Once you are outside, call the fire department.
Mike Pertz, full time firefighter/paramedic and the founder of www.FirefighterNOW.com warns of “11 Things You Should NEVER Do In A Fire” . Summary shown below, follow this link to read the full article:
- Hide or Freeze: People, especially children, can act irrationally during a emergency. Make sure every family member knows their job is to ESCAPE the building.
- Delay Calling Emergency Services: Even if the fire looks small, call the fire department right away. Fires can grow erratically and shockingly fast.
- Get in an Elevator: The elevator shaft acts like a giant chimney connecting all floors of your building. You may become trapped in the elevator and be exposed to deadly levels of smoke.
- Try to Put out the Fire Yourself: Firefighters are equipped with breathing protection, equipment, and training that allows them fight fire safely
- Go back into a Fire Once You Escape – None of your possessions (or even your pet) is worth dying for.
- Waste Time Trying to Decide What You’ll Grab – Grab your loved ones and run. If you live somewhere remote, grab your cell phone to call the fire department. If you have near neighbors you can run to their houses to call the fire department.
- Jump – The jump can kill you, even if you survive you may be too injured to get a safe distance from the fire.
- Open a Hot Door: If the door is hot, take another escape route
- Break Windows: Introducing fresh air can cause a fire to grow. Unless you are escaping from the window, leave the window closed.
- Run and Flail If Your Clothes Catch Fire: Most adults remember learning to stop, drop, and roll if your clothing is on fire. Practice with your children to make sure everyone remembers during a emergency.
- Throw Water On A Grease Fire: Water can spread a grease fire instead on putting it out. Baking soda or properly rated fire extinguisher would be a better option.
Remember to practice your escape plan at least once a year! Watch the video below to see how quickly your home can fill with toxic smoke and temperatures that can kill.
Thank you to ABC News for making this excellent video.
Window Safety
Every year 12 children die from falls from windows and more than 4,000 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for window fall-related injuries according to the The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
If you have children, or even if children visit your home regularly, consider adding window guards and stops to any windows that children have access to. Children do not understand that window screens will not protect them from falling out the window. Modern windows required warning labels.
The most robust option is the window guard. These are bars that cover the lower portion of your door and windows. Some are tension mounted while others are screwed into the window trim. These are designed to be removed quickly by an adult if the window is needed to escape a fire. Many people do not like the appearance of these, however if your child is energetic and might launch himself/herself through the window glass, this may be your best option.
If you feel confident your child will not launch themselves through the glass, window stops are a less visually obtrusive option. These come in many styles to be installed on sliding glass windows and doors, casement windows, and double-hung windows. Window stops allow you to open the window a bit. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends limiting window openings to four inches or less. Read this article, “Childproofing Your Home – Several Safety Devices to Help Protect Your Children from Home Hazards“, to see the USCPC’s full childproofing recommendations.
For double-hung windows, consider opening your window from the top rather than the bottom.
Confirm your window guards or stops are compatible with the windows and doors in your home. Different types may be appropriate for wood vs vinyl vs aluminum windows. Always install according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Consider the role of older children. Some window stops may work for an infant or toddler, however they might be easily disabled by their 6-year-old sibling who will not remember to reset it properly after fiddling with it. If your children span a number of years, consider getting a more tamper-proof option. In our home, we installed the Cardinal Gates Safe Window Warden which tucks into the track of our Andersen windows. It looks like it is part of the window and even our 9-year-old has not figured out that it is removable.
Lastly, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports, on average 9 children die each year due strangulation by cords on window blinds, shades, and draperies. If there are children in your home, the safest option is to replace these with cordless varieties. Read this article, “Window Covering Cords“, to see the USCPC’s full safety recommendations.
Find Your Electric Panels
If you ever see smoke or sparks coming from an electric fixture in your home, leave the house immediately and call the fire department. If you are worried fire fighters won’t arrive before your home bursts into flames, you may choose to risk it and shut off the power on the way out (but I would just run).
Many houses will have only one electric panel, however some may have a primary electric panel with multiple sub-panels in different parts of the home. If you can see a thick wire attaching to your home from a telephone pole, follow that wire’s path to find your primary electrical panel. Shutting off the primary panel should shut off all power to your home, unless there is a secondary source of power such as a generator, large batteries, or solar panels.
Typically the switch at the top of your home's primary electric panel shuts off all electricity to the home
You will likely find your electric panel in your garage, basement, or mechanical room (with your heating and cooling equipment). It will typically look like a gray metal box on the wall with a metal door.
Open the door and you will see the main shut off at the top, with individual circuits in two vertical rows below. All adults in your home should know where your home’s primary electric panel is and the path should be CLEAR and easily accessible in case of emergency.
Find Your Water Main Shut-off
There are many reasons you may need to shut off your water.
- A water pipe in your home might freeze and burst
- You might puncture a pipe in your wall with a nail or screw
- Your sink, toilet, dishwasher, etc might have an internal leak and the branch shutoff for that fixture has seized or does not close completely.
- You are remodeling and you need to add or reroute water pipes.
Home Hero members, take a picture of your water main shut off and post it to the Facebook group.
Water Main Gate Valve Shut-off - Boo!!
Water Main Ball Valve Shut-off - Yay!!
Did you know? According to North Texas Municipal Water District, a burst ½” diameter pipe will spew 50 gallons per minute. That’s more than one full bathtub of water spraying all over the INSIDE of your house EVERY MINUTE.
You need to be able to access the water main shutoff valve FAST! This means all adults in your home should know where the water main shut-off is and access should remain CLEAR with no furniture in the way.
Thank you to Any Hour Services for making this excellent video. Any Hour Services is located in Utah.
CONGRATULATIONS HOME HEROES!!!!
You have completed Phase One of Your Home Hero Journey !!!
You are ready to proceed to Phase Two – Power Through the Backlog.
Talk to us
Have any questions? We are always open to talk about your home and how we can help you.