Home Fire Protection: Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is more important than just opening your home after a long cold winter, it is an important fire safety practice as well. As dust and items build up inside over the winter, landscapes, vegetation and even leftover firewood outside can put your family at greater fire risk.

Decrease Your Family’s Fire Risk with These Tips:

• Fact: Dryers and washing machines caused 2,900 were involved in one out of every 22 home structure fires reported to U.S. fire departments in 2006-2010, with Dryers accounting for 92% of the fires.

What to do: Clean the lint filter with each load of laundry and remove all lint from around the drum. Keep the area surrounding your dryer clear of flammable items like clothing and cleaning supplies.

• Fact: Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a reported house fire in half.

What to do: Make sure monitored smoke alarms are installed in every bedroom, outside the sleeping area and on each level of the home. Schedule a system review with our team to make sure you are covered. Test your smoke alarms frequently. Make sure you call us first to put your system on test.

• Fact: Most home cooking fires involve the stovetop.

What to do: Keep flammable items away from the stove. This includes wooden utensils, food packaging, towels, curtains and oven mitts. Never leave the kitchen when you’re frying on the stovetop. Check out more cooking safety tips here.

• Fact: 9 Volt Batteries can start fires. Batteries stored in drawers surrounded by metal objects (paper clips, coins, or other batteries) and flammable items increase fire risk.

What to do: Keep batteries in original packaging until ready to use them. Battery posts that come into contact with metal can make enough heat to start a fire. Store batteries standing up.

• Fact: Extension cord fires outnumber fires with permanent power cords by two to one.

What to do: Make sure your electrical cords are not running across doorways or under carpets. Extension cords are meant for temporary use only. Have a qualified electrician add more outlets if needed.

Find these and more Spring Cleaning Fire Protection Tips from the NFPA here. Other Safety Tips from the NFPA can be found here.

About Alarm Engineering

Locally owned and operated, Alarm Engineering has been securing Delmarva since 1985. In that time, we have developed a reputation for integrity, reliability, and quality with our emphasis on superior service to our customers. We know you have many choices when it comes to your security system, so here are some things you should know about us. 

Alarm Engineering is leading provider of electronic security systems and services in Delaware and the Eastern Shores of Maryland and Virginia. From integrated home security systems with home automation and video to large enterprise-level integrated systems and small business solutions, our highly trained and professional staff will get the job done right. As an Authorized Alarm.com dealer, we offer exclusive Crash and Smash technology, Geo-Fencing, Doorbell Camera and LiftMaster Garage Control as part of our Home Automation offerings.

For more about what sets us apart from the crowd, click here or give us a call at 410.546.2210. But don’t just take our word for it: check out our five star Google Reviews here.