March 11, 2011

Are you prepared for a fire in your home?

An average of 2,600 people die every year in the United States from house fires. An additional 13,000 people are hurt from house fires. I hope it never happens to you, but you can never be too prepared. I recently came across a great article written by Paul Bianchina with Inman News. He gave some great tips to keeping you safe. First and most importantly, is your smoke alarm. You should have one outside the door of each room where people sleep, and at least one centrally located on each floor of the house. Also, keep in mind the batteries in smoke detectors need to be replaced once a year. Another important thing to be prepared for a house fire is planning your escape. The best time to establish a plan with your family is before an emergency strikes. Take the opportunity to plan an escape route and rehearse it with your family. Keep in mind that you need to have two plans of escape from each room. You can’t count on always using the door. If your second escape path is out a second story (or taller) window than you need to have an escape ladder, which can be bought at home building supply stores. You need to have a predestined meeting area away from the home to meet everyone from your household. You will not always be able to escape the building together and you need a central meeting area to make sure everyone is out of the home. Of course always remember that you need to leave immediately from a burning home. Your possessions can be replaced, you and your family cannot!

I am a Real Estate specialist who focuses on Boone, Hamilton, Hendricks and Marion Counties here in Central Indiana. If you are thinking about buying or selling a home in Central Indiana (or know of anyone who is) please call/text me at 317-413-5311 or email me at .

Posted by: Jeremy Page