Categories: Safety

National Fire Prevention Month

October is National Fire Prevention Month. Now is a great time to review fire prevention with your family. It’s also a great time to make sure you have all the right fire prevention tools at home.

Making sure your home is safe for your family and friends is very important and a few items can really make all the difference. It’s very important to have proper fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and egress ladders if necessary.

Fire Extinguishers
Having a proper fire extinguisher available in case of a small fire may help you prevent a devastating fire and possible your life. There are four types of extinguishers available, Class A, B, C and D.

Class A – These extinguishers typically use pressurized water and are effective for combustible materials like paper and wood. You should NEVER use this type of extinguisher on a grease or electrical fire.
Class B – These extinguishers are used for fighting grease, gasoline, kerosene and oil fires.
Class C – Are used for extinguishing electrical fires.
Class D – Are used for chemical fires involving combustible metals like magnesium, titanium, potassium and sodium.

My suggestion is to buy several ABC fire extinguishers that can put out any Class A, B or C fires. These fire extinguishers are very affordable and easy to use. I recommend you buy one for each level of your home including the basement. You should also consider keeping one in your garage and vehicle.

I would suggest looking at two fire extinguishers that are available at Amazon:

Kidde FA110 Multi Purpose Fire Extinguisher 1A10BC which sells for $22.42.

Kidde 21005779 Pro 210 Fire Extinguisher, ABC, 160CI which sells for $87.19.

Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Having proper smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home is not only important but it’s also the law. Most states now require carbon monoxide detectors in the home in addition to smoke detectors. These detectors are responsible for saving thousands of lives each year. There are several ways to install these devices in your home. In new construction we hard wire the detectors into the home with battery backup. If you have an older home then you can install a battery operated detector almost anywhere.

You need a smoke detector in each sleeping room and one in each common area of each floor. It’s also required to have a heat detector in your garage. I’d also recommend that you install a carbon monoxide detector on each level of your home especially in areas that contain appliances that burn fossil fuels.

I would suggest you look at some of the devices that Amazon sells:

Kidde KN-COSM-B Battery-Operated Combination Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Alarm with Talking Alarm which sells for $34.86.

Kidde 910 10-Year Sealed Lithium Battery-Operated Smoke Alarm with Memory and Smart Hush which sells for $17.50.

Todd Fratzel

I'm full time builder for a large construction company in New Hampshire. I run their design-build division that specializes in custom homes, commercial design-build projects and sub-divisions. I'm also a licensed civil and structural engineer with extensive experience in civil and structural design and home construction. My hope is that I can share my experience in the home construction, home improvement and home renovation profession with other builders and home owners. I'm also the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Tool Box Buzz. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or you'd like to inquire about advertising on this site.

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View Comments

Dana says:
June 2, 2009 at 11:21 am
Electrical safety in your home and/or office is very important and should be payed close attention to. A new thermal technology created by BSafe Electrix saves lives and property by sensing abnormal temperatures in electrical wiring devices, de-energizing the circuits involved, and stopping potential catastrophic fires before they can start. With this fire-prevention outlet not only will many lives be saved, but many properties as well. A safety device such as this should be installed in all homes and offices in order to ensure safety for those inside.