Tips to stay safe during fire season

We have been receiving and abnormal amount of fire calls this year. These fires have started from all sorts of sources from spontaneous combustion to a faulty thermostat to a laptop charger overheating. The bottom line is fires can happen to anyone at anytime. We want to make sure our customers take the steps to be prepared if disaster does strike.

Here are a few items to think about during this season:

• Scrapbooks- Are they stored in a firesafe case?
• Photo's- Are they backed up at an off-site location such as a safety deposit box?
• Inventory of contents- Keep a journal of model numbers, prices and pictures of electronics and other valuables inside the home. This helps with replacement costs for the insurance company.
• Insurance coverage- Have you met with your insurance agent lately to review your policy? Have you purchased any new valuable items such as firearms or jewelry that aren't listed on your policy? Make sure you have enough coverage for your contents...whether you have renters insurance or a homeowners policy.
• Pets- Would the fire department know there are pets inside the home should something happen? Do you have a "pets inside" sticker visible?
• Fire extinguisher- Do you have one? Do you know where it is if you needed to put out a fire in the middle of the night? Do you know how to use it?
• Fire escape plan for your family- Have you met with your family and made a plan if a fire were to happen? Would your children know how to get out of the house safely?
• Smoke alarms- When is the last time you changed the batteries in the alarm or tested them? Smoke detectors save lives...did you know the fire department will come to your house to inspect your smoke detectors and make sure your home is safe? You can call the local fire department to schedule an inspection anytime.

We hope these items help to prepare you better if a fire were to happen in your home. This is also a great article I found on the Montana Red Cross website. You can follow the checklist to make sure you are fully prepared.

http://www.redcross.org/www-files/Documents/pdf/Preparedness/checklists/FireSafety.pdf

We hope everyone has a fun and safe New Year!