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Childproofing Your Home: Protect Them from Fires and Burns

By Luke Armstrong

Every year, thousands of children are rushed to hospitals from playing with fire hazards around the house. But many of these accidents can be prevented, such as keeping matches away from their reach. Here are some more fire safety tips for parents to protect kids from fires and burns.

Fire Safety in the Home

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Make sure kids are supervised at all times to prevent the risk of burns and fires in the home.
  • Establish and frequently practice an emergency fire escape plan
    • Never use doors with locks in kids’ rooms
    • Teach kids to crawl under smoke, if present
    • Find a safe place to meet outside the home
    • Establish and practice 2 escape routes from the home
  • Teach children to stop, drop, and roll if their clothes are on fire
    • Stop right away
    • Drop to the floor, covering their face with their hands
    • Roll on the floor to extinguish the flames
  • Choose natural instead of synthetic clothing material for kids. Also remember to buy fitted pajamas instead of loose-fitting clothing for them to wear to bed.
  • Move, cover, or hide all electric wiring for children.
  • Make sure smoke detectors are properly installed and are on 24/7 in each children’s bedroom. Test them each month and change the batteries two times each year.
  • If you use a wood stove to heat your home, make sure that room is blocked by baby gates.
  • If you have a fireplace, block kids’ access by placing a guard door in front of it.
  • Keep a fire extinguisher on each level of your home, storing it in a place of easy access. Know how to use them properly but prevent young children from touching it.
  • If you use space heaters, keep them away from any combustible materials, such as bedding and upholstery. Never let kids near a space heater and supervise them at all times.
  • Keep all flammable liquids away from open flames and children. Store them in a high, safe place in safe containers.
  • Never let children anywhere near something that can catch fire. These include paraffin, lamps, lighters, hot irons, candles, petrol, lamps, etc. Also always put out candles before leaving the room.
  • Make sure that any and all microwaved foods are not hot before giving them to a baby or young child. Never heat bottles in the microwave.
  • Keep all combustible materials away from stove tops to prevent kids from moving them near an open flame.
  • Keep any pot handles pointed towards the stove. Kids are naturally curious and may grab and pull the pot down on themselves.
  • When cooking, use back burners first to prevent children from reaching up and burning their hands on hot stovetops. Or even better, keep them out of the kitchen when you are cooking.

Fire Safety Outside

  • Always make sure that campfires, fire pits, grills, outdoor heaters, and kerosene lamps are supervised and to never allow children to play near them.
  • Before placing kids in car seats, feel if the seat belts or metal buckles are hot before doing so. When parking, cover them with a blanket to prevent them from getting too hot in the direct sunlight.
  • If possible, avoid using fireworks around children as they are dangerous for both children and adults.
  • Instead of using sparklers, replace them with glow sticks. The heat generated from a sparkler can reach up to 1,200 degrees – enough to melt glass!

Keeping Children Safe

Always remember that children always need protection and supervision. These tips won’t guarantee keeping them safe, but they can significantly reduce chances of them causing a fire both inside and out of the home.

Fire Damage Restoration

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ServiceMaster of Laurel is available 24/7 to serve the residents of Laurel and Hattiesburg, MS with 24/7 fire damage restoration services.

If your home or building has suffered through fire damage, never hesitate to reach out for help. Taking action immediately after the fire is crucial because the damage will continue to spread over time. Any smoke and soot produced from the flames will be quick to cover the remaining materials that weren’t already damaged by the flames.

Soon after calling your insurance company to file a claim, you must choose a restoration company. Finding one that is licensed, experienced, and trained is most important when it comes to rebuilding your home as you won’t want any mistakes or delays in the process.

A highly recommended company that is available 24/7 includes ServiceMaster. With years of experience, these professionals are experts when it comes to cleaning and repairing homes from fire and smoke damage. They have professional equipment and products needed to restore your home or building to its original condition.

They will also work with your insurance company during the claims process, if needed. With these experts, you can look forward to the peace of mind of having a fully restored home.