An Ounce of Prevention...
Unless you have young, school-aged children in your life, you may not be aware that this is National Fire Safety Week. While the entire month of October is focused on fire prevention, this year National Fire Safety Week runs from October 4th through the 10th.
When our children were in elementary school, this was the week they'd take their field trip to our local fire house. It was also when fire fighters would come into their classrooms to talk about fire safety at home. These annual presentations resonated with our children. They couldn't wait to implement what they learned about fire safety.
From early on, we took fire prevention seriously in our house. We changed the batteries in our smoke detectors faithfully, every six months. We had the proper fire extinguishers placed throughout our house, as well as in the garage. We practiced random fire drills with our children, just in case. We even had emergency escape ladders in each of their bedrooms, so they could escape from the 2nd floor, if there ever was a fire.
We did all these things from the perspective of if, not when something happened. While the preventative measures we took gave us, and our children, peace of mind that was all it was.
Despite our best efforts, on June 19th of 2023, we had a house fire. Our children, who are now grown, were home for the summer. My husband and I were in Boston, 8 hours away. The fire started with one of our cars that was parked in the garage. The car hadn't been driven for days, yet spontaneous combustion occurred in the battery, which ignited the fuel line, before spreading to the other chemicals stored in the garage.
That was more than 3 years ago. We've learned a lot in that time. Here are 5 Take Aways for National Fire Safety Week, from our first-hand experience.
Get a fireproof, waterproof safe
This type of safe is designed to protect irreplaceable documents & valuables from fire and water damage due to fire or flood.
We’ve always had and used a fire box for documents like birth certificates and social security cards, we just never thought we’d need it. Taking the time now to set up your own fire box will take so much weight off your shoulders, if a fire ever happens.
Install fire extinguishers & smoke alarms
Have the right type of fire extinguisher for specific areas of your house.
Fire extinguishers should be easy to access.
Family members should know how to use them properly.
Even though my husband and I were out of town, our children knew where the fire extinguishers were and how to use them.
Choose the right smoke alarm for the right location. Smoke alarms should be installed in each bedroom & on each floor, including the attic, basement & garage. The early warning smoke detectors allow loved ones to get to a safe place in the event of a house fire.
Practice fire drills at home
Schools have fire drills throughout the year, yet there are less than 4,000 school fires reported each year. However, with more than 300,000 house fires in the U.S. every year, fire drills should be done at home, as well. Doing so will help your children know how to stay safe during a house fire.
While we hadn’t done fire drills since our children were young, as adults, their response was instinctive because of the time we spent practicing for the ‘what if’ when they were younger.
Know your agent, your policy and your coverage.
It’s important to do a regular audit on your insurance policy, so you know what coverage you have before an emergency. Here are some questions to consider:
How much coverage do you have for the structure of your home?
Does your policy cover ‘full replacement’ or ‘functional replacement’ for the reconstruction of your home?
How much coverage do you have for the contents of your home?
Does your policy cover damages to neighboring property, if the fire spreads beyond your home?
We had a very comprehensive policy. However, our policy was never really put to the test until we had a house fire. We never knew to ask these key questions. Moving forward, we will make the necessary adjustments to our policy, so we have all of our bases covered.
You don’t have to go with the preferred reconstruction company or preferred content adjuster from your insurance company.
Check your options to see what works best for you. Independent companies don’t work for your insurance company. They work for you. They go toe-to-toe with your insurance company to get you everything you are owed. Whereas, preferred vendors work for the insurance company and that’s where their loyalty lies. With that said, no option is without its flaws.
Immediately following our fire, private restoration companies and content adjusters reached out to us. I was still in shock from the fire, but decisions needed to be made regarding our home. After much deliberation, we finally decided to go with private companies rather than the preferred vendors from our insurance company. Hiring independent companies for both the structure and the content of our home took a weight off of our shoulders, allowing us to focus on helping our family heal from this ordeal.
Even after the shock of our fire wore off, the journey to rebuild our lives was a long and, at times, difficult road. While our efforts and planning didn't prevent us from having a house fire, they did provide us with the knowledge we needed to navigate our way through. We lost the entire contents of our home that day, yet our greatest treaures were preserved...
our precious children and our beloved dog. Through this process we've come to realize the things that matter most in life aren't actually things at all, but rather the ability to make the most of each day and every opportunity.
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