Quick Hits -7 Fall Fire Safety Tips for Your Home

As the vibrant colors of fall arrive and temperatures drop, many homeowners begin preparing for cooler weather and festive decorations. While autumn brings excitement, like Halloween celebrations, it’s also a time to stay mindful of fire safety risks.

Keeping your home and family is essential. Here are seven fall fire safety tips to help you enjoy the season:

Fall Fire Safety Tips for Your Home

1. Change Smoke/Carbon Detector Batteries and Test the Alarms.
   When Daylight Savings Time begins and ends, it’s a good idea to change your smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries. This ensures the alarms don’t fail when you need them the most.
   1. Remember to test the smoke alarms after changing the batteries.
   2. Check that all fire extinguishers are working when you adjust the clocks.
2. Fully Check and Service Heating Devices Before Cranking Up the Heat:
   1. Have your HVAC system inspected, cleaned, and serviced by a certified HVAC contractor.
   2. If you use space heaters, make sure there is at least three feet of space around them.
   3. Don’t place fabrics on space heaters to dry.
   4. Turn the heaters off when going to bed. 
   5. If you’ve got a fireplace, hire a professional chimney sweep to inspect and clean your chimney. Keep flammable objects at least three feet away from the fireplace and install a mesh metal screen around it.

      👉 Pro Tip: Learn more about preventing HVAC-related water damage to protect your home further.

3. Halloween Safety
   Can’t wait to decorate your home and mastermind scary costumes for Halloween? Remember, Halloween safety comes first.
   1. Keep decorations away from open flames and other heat sources, and use battery-operated lights instead of candles in jack-o-lanterns. We strongly advise you not to use real candles for decorating your home, but if you do, here are essential candle safety tips.
4. Holiday Cooking Safety
   It’s important to stay safe in the kitchen during the holiday season. For more tips on how to prevent Thanksgiving cooking fires, check out our Thanksgiving Fire Safety blog!
5. Create a Fire Escape Plan and practice it regularly. Say a fire breaks out at 2 AM and your smoke alarms wake you and your family up – what do you do? This is when the fire escape plan comes into play.
   1. Designate an escape route for each area of your home and establish a meeting place outside. Practice escaping your home while staying low to avoid breathing in smoke.
   2. Also, if your home is more than one story,  practice escaping through windows using emergency ladders.
6. Reduce Fire Risks Outside
   As leaves and other flammable debris build up around your home, make it a habit to remove them periodically.
   1. Prune trees and rake up leaves and twigs.
   2. Don’t store fuel in your home or garage.
   3. Keep your roof, gutters, and downspouts clear of debris.
   4. Remove fuel from lawnmowers before storing them for winter.
7. Safely Manage Outdoor Fires
   If allowed in your area and you plan to use a fire pit or host a bonfire this fall, follow these precautions to prevent accidents:
   
   1. Keep fires at least 25 feet away from structures, trees, and other flammable materials.
   2. Always have a water source, such as a garden hose or bucket, nearby to extinguish the fire quickly if needed.
   3. Never leave a fire unattended, and fully extinguish it with water before leaving the area.
   4. Only burn seasoned firewood—avoid using leaves, trash, or other materials that can spark uncontrollably.

Follow these tips, and don’t let a fire ruin your fall. For professional smoke remediation or fire damage repair, contact PuroClean Restoration Services, your trusted local partner for professional mold, water, fire and smoke damage restoration and biohazard cleanup services in Cranford and nearby Union County.