October is Fire Prevention Month

As it will inevitably get colder, more people will begin turning on their heat. Also as the fall ambiance is embraced, more people begin to light candles to make their houses and businesses smell like apple cider and pumpkin spice.

October is Fire Prevention Month, and it couldn’t come at a better time to prepare people for the cold months.

There are basic fire prevention measures everyone should take to ensure safety against structure fires. One of the number one things you need to make sure is that your smoke alarms are working and that the batteries are up to date.

“People tend to remove smoke alarm batteries when the alarm begins to chirp as a result of low batteries or the alarm is no longer working properly, or when experiencing nuisance alarms,” Starkville Fire Department said in a Tweet. “These behaviors present serious risks to safety that can have tragic consequences.”

Smoke alarms go off when they sense smoke. Oftentimes we hear smoke alarms go off when cooking goes awry but the situation is under control. However, they are crucial for houses and businesses when smoke isn’t expected.

When there is a fire, a working smoke alarm can determine the extent of the fire. It can even be the difference between life or death.

Another very important part of fire prevention is having a fire extinguisher up to date and on hand. If a fire does occur, fire extinguishers can help anyone put out the fire almost as soon as it starts.

Basic fire prevention can also mean making sure your candles are put out before you leave the house or go to sleep. Keep your candles away from surfaces where they might be easily pushed over, and make sure open flame is out of reach of small children and pets.

Before the cool weather really moves in, make sure all of your wiring is up to code and properly dispose of anything with burned or destroyed wires.