This post was sponsored by Kidde Fire Safety as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
When we were house hunting, our realtor (who also happens to be my awesome brother) asked us all the things we were looking for in our new home. I said things like “natural light”, “open floor plan” and “central air”.
You know what wasn’t on my list of must-haves? Fire safety equipment.
Other than whether or not the house passed inspection (which in our state includes an inspection of smoke alarms) I didn’t think much about fire safety at all.
I started looking into some more updated smoke alarms, but they were quickly relinquished to “The List”: the ever-growing, endless list of things a new homeowner needs/wants/has to do.
“The List” that quickly grows out of control and becomes a form of stress all it’s own and leaves you overwhelmed.
Since “The List” usually far exceeds “The Budget”, and unfortunately new smoke alarms and a fire extinguisher are not nearly as cute as new area rugs and new curtains, my fire safety preparations fell by the wayside.
A couple weeks ago I went out on the deck and fired up our gas grill to cook dinner. As I always do, since it’s “just right outside the kitchen” I left the grill on, and went inside to let it heat up.
I proceeded to start prepping veggies and chicken for the grill. After only a couple minutes I looked up to see flames shooting out of the top and back of our gas grill.
I went to grab our fire extinguisher and froze.
Do you know where our fire extinguisher was?
Still on “The List”.
I frantically turned off the propane tank, ran back in the house and grabbed a box of baking soda, being the only thing I could think of that would put out a grill fire. Fortunately, it sort of worked, but there were a few small flames so I had to basically sit helplessly and wait for the rest of the fire to go out on its own.
After the panic wore off a bit, I started kicking myself. WHY hadn’t we bought a fire extinguisher? Our smoke alarms are great but they are only part of the equation. In this case the smoke alarms didn’t go off because the fire was on the deck and the door was closed.
We are so SO lucky that damage was as minor as it was. The heat damaged the grill a bit and the railing behind it, but it could have been so much worse.
What is the biggest cause of home fires?
Believe it or not, cooking equipment is the number one cause of home fires, followed by heating equipment. Make sure you have smoke alarms and fire extinguishers near both!
How can you help protect your home from house fires?
In honor of National Fire Prevention Month this October, I wanted to make sure all of YOU take smoke alarms and fire extinguishers off your “List” and put them into your home.
If you’re buying a new home, or renovating your current home, make sure that fire safety is at the top of your to-do list, and keep these fire prevention tips in mind:
- Install smoke alarms on EVERY level of the home, one in each bedroom and at least one in the hallway leading to bedrooms.
- Test your smoke alarms monthly (go do it right now. I’ll wait.)
- Replace batteries annually
- Replace smoke alarms every 10 years (even if they still work).
- Have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, garage and basement
- Establish and practice a fire safety plan with your family.
Where can I get fire safety equipment?
Needless to say after this experience, we made a trip to Walmart and checked “fire safety equipment” off our list.
They have a great selection of Kidde Fire Safety Products so that I can be prepared and that makes me feel safer in our new home.
3 out of 5 home fire fatalities occurred in homes that had no working smoke alarms, so by simply installing them in your home you’re taking a huge step in reducing the risk of fatal injuries if a fire does occur.
Fire safety equipment is one thing you don’t want to skimp on. Don’t buy off brand, used, or expired fire alarms and extinguishers. This is one area of home-ownership where you don’t want to skimp!
Sure that area rug is amazing BUT let’s be real, my priorities were way out of whack!
Make sure you have your loved ones and your most valuable investment (your home) protected. National Fire Prevention Month is a great time to make sure you’ve got your bases covered and check out the line up of Kidde Fire Safety Products.