No matter where you live there is always the danger of a fire. In case of a fire it is important to have certain safety measures installed on your home. Consider the following tips to make sure you have your home prepared in the event of a fire or other emergency. First if you live in a location prone to wildfires the best thing you can do is update your roof if you have the money. Your roof should be made of slate, tile or asphalt shingles which are fireproof. Second you need to keep brush away from your home. Keep trees trimmed so they are not close to touching your home. Any dry brush should be kept cut down and away from the home. Third, it can be a good idea to have the fire department come out and check your house. Many fire department give courtesy calls to homes in order to do inspections that help point out areas that you can improve your fire safety. So on occasion it can be good to have a home or fire inspector over for a check up on your property. Fourth, you should not live without fire and homeowners insurance. If you already have insurance then you need to make sure your policies are updated and reflect all changes in your home replacement costs and review any alterations in premiums or coverage. Fifth, you should always have a fire extinguisher in your home. At least one should be within easy access, but more is always better. Remember fire extinguishers do have expiration dates. Some are only good for five to fifteen years. Make sure you keep an eye on the pressure gauge and recharge, service or replace the extinguisher as needed. You can choose to go with a disposable fire extinguisher or a rechargeable one depending on your needs. The First Alert Tundra, available at Resculite, an online fire and safety store, is a quick, easy to use, spray extinguisher. Sixth, make sure the smoke detectors in your home are checked on a regular basis. A good idea is to change the batteries in your smoke alarms when you change your clocks for daylight savings. After ten years it is a good idea to change all the smoke detectors in your home. Resculite, Inc has a large variety of smoke detectors online. Seventh, something many forget with children in the house is to keep matches and candles away from them. No matter how old you think your kids are you should be very careful what you allow them to get into. No matter how small, an open flame always presents a danger to peoples lives and the home. Eight, if you have space heaters use them carefully. Do not place any clothing or flammable materials on the space heater. They should be kept at least three feet from any flammable materials and turned off when you are not home. Nine, you should try to avoid overloading the electrical systems in your house. If you have a blown fuse or a circuit breaker that trips frequently then you need to have it checked out by a qualified electrician. Install new outlets or different branch circuits if you use a space bar to plug in a lot of electronics. Power strips with their own circuit breaker are better than extension cords when plugging in multiple appliances or electronics. Never have an electrical cord running under carpet. Ten, finally you should have a fire escape plan in place. And make sure your home is properly prepared for an emergency. If you have bars on your windows or other such security measures then you should make sure they have a fast security release from the inside in the event of an emergency. And for a multi-story house or apartment you always want to have a fire escape ladder handy. Resculite, Inc has a nice variety of these online.
As a parent we are always vigilant in watching and keeping our children safe. There are things as parents that we need to be aware of, that cause potential harm to our children that we never think of as safety issues. Wndo blinds and their cords are one of them. There are several things to know and doo to keep you children safe from harm in regards to window blinds.
Window coverings are one of the products most frequently associated with strangulation of children under age five. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Window Covering Safety Council are aware of at least 161 deaths since 1991 from children becoming entangled in the cords of window coverings.
The younger victims, usually between 10 to 15 months of age, typically are in cribs which have been placed near window covering pull cords. Although a few older children, usually from two to four years old, find cords hanging near the floor, most of these victims become entangled in cords while climbing on furniture to look out the window.
Entanglement and strangulation can occur when a child is alone in a room for only a short time.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission strongly recommends you repair or replace mini blinds and other corded window coverings purchased before 2001 with safer products now available. Christopher Lowell, the spokesman for the CPSC on window coverings, recorded a Public Service Announcement explaining the hazards of window coverings for children.
Since 1995, the window coverings industry has been focused on creating products that are safe for children. You, as a parent can benefit from that effort. For years, there has been a cord stop on most products to ensure that the inner cords on horizontal blinds cannot be pulled far enough to be looped around a childs neck and cause possible strangulation.
There are also have individual cords instead of loops on standard head rail systems, and cord cleats for these cords to tie around, instead of hanging loose. For continuous cord loop head rail systems and for vertical blinds, there is a tension pulley system which is mounted to the wall or window sill to hold the cords taught and prevent children from getting entangled in them. Read and follow carefully the installation instructions shipped with blinds. They contain a warning regarding the possible hazards of young children and the cords of the product.
Todays window covering products need just a few, simple adjustments to make them safer for young children.
The CPSC and the Window Covering Safety Council urge parents to eliminate the looping two-corded horizontal blinds, pleated and cellular shades, as well as vertical blinds and draperies with continuous loop systems. 3 Day Blinds offers horizontal and vertical retrofit kits at no charge, both in our showrooms and online. You can also download the instructions for retrofitting horizontal and vertical blinds online.
Keep all windows covering cords out of the reach of children. Unless the cords can be completely removed from a child's reach, the CPSC recommends against knotting or tying the cords together which creates a new loop for a child to become entangled.
When ordering window coverings, try to get the shortest cords possible. For blinds and draperies which require a continuous loop to function properly, use a cord cleat to fasten the pulley to the wall or window casing.
Never put a crib or young childs bed near a window. Even if you have guards on the windows, the temptation to investigate cords from hanging window coverings is strong for a young child.
Because young children climb, never put a chair, sofa, bench or even a bookcase near a window with a dangling cord. Children can climb on furniture, play with cords or chains and could become entangled.
Both Robert D. Thomson & Joyce Jackson are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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