Fires are not just dangerous. They are also incredibly damaging to your home. What if we told you that most house fires were preventable? You’d likely want to hear how you can work to prevent fires in your home and protect your belongings and loved ones. Here is our top five list of the things you can do to improve fire prevention. Read on to learn more.

1. Clean Your Kitchen and Stay Vigilant While You Cook

Most house fires start in the kitchen. Grease, oils, gases, and other cooking materials are natural fire starters. Put these materials near an open flame, such as the burner of a gas stove, and a fire could catch quickly and potentially spread. One step of fire prevention in the kitchen is to keep your stove top and kitchen clean from greases, fats and oils. Avoid storing flammable oils, gas and other similar materials in the kitchen.

When you cook, always stay within the kitchen, or at least very close by it. If you leave a pan unattended, both the contents of the pan and the grease cooking it can catch fire.

2. Remove Combustible Materials From Heating Sources

Push your furniture away from heating vents and tie back drapes. The cloth from these items can easily catch fire if something goes wrong with the circuitry in your home. Keep your HVAC system, water heater, stove and other appliances maintained. House fires typically start when combustible items hang near under-maintained appliances.

In your yard, remove dead leaves, fallen branches and other combustible materials. Improve fire prevention in your yard by cleaning away these materials from your home and away from your propane tank. If you live in a region that’s prone to wildfire, this minor effort will help to protect your home.

3. Install Fire Detectors Throughout Your Home

A huge number of injuries stem from house fires where the occupants didn’t have an operable fire detector. Purchasing and installing fire detectors on every floor of your home is a great step in improving fire prevention. If you have children, a fire detector should be in each of your kids’ bedrooms.

Make sure to check the batteries regularly, and get your fire detector maintained every 10 years.

4. Get a Fire Extinguisher and Get Trained on How to Use It

Fire extinguishers can single handedly stop a fire once it starts. Small extinguishers are a great safety tool to store in your pantry or under your kitchen sink.

If you do decide to purchase a fire extinguisher, you’ll need to be trained on how to use it properly. Extinguishers are very powerful, meaning you’ll want to know how to hold and spray it for maximum effectiveness.

5. Form a Family Escape Plan and Practice It

Sit down with all of the members of your family and develop an exit plan. To create the best escape plan, you’ll need every member of the family to know the closest exit to their bedroom. That will be his or her primary exit. Then, locate a secondary exit in case the primary one gets blocked by fire.

Next, figure out a location where you and your family could meet up if you all escaped a house fire. This location should be away from your home, preferably off of your property entirely.

Write down the plan, with each family member reviewing both their primary and secondary exits. Lastly, practice both exits in an at-home fire drill. Although it isn’t something that helps with fire prevention, it will help save your life and your family members’ lives in case of a fire.

Though you may help to prevent fire and fire damage with these tips, you should still be prepared. In the case that your home does experience a fire, an Ohio restoration company can provide you and your insurance company an assessment of the related damage and an inventory of repairable and beyond-repair personal items.