When you think of winter you probably think of pristine white blankets of snow, sledding, and snuggling up under a blanket for warmth, what you don’t think of is the danger your apartment is in due to fire. More home and apartment fires happen during the winter then any other season. That’s why The Apartments of Wildewood have made a guide to fire safety for the winter. This week we’ll be focusing on preventing fires, by discussing safe smoking habits, safe kitchen habits, and general apartment fire prevention.
Safe Smoking Habits
One of the reasons that winter has an increased incidence of house and apartment fires is that people don’t go outside to smoke when they normally would. Smoking inside is the number one cause of fatal apartment fires. Nearly a third of these are caused by someone who falls asleep smoking on their bed or at couch. One of the reasons these tend to be fatal is that apartments are at their most crowded during the night, and the majority of the residents are asleep. When they are woken up by the fire alarm, they’re drowsy and confused. If there on a floor above where the fire started, their exit may be cut off by fire on the floor beneath them.
If you’re a smoker you shouldn’t smoke inside your apartment, even on cold winter nights. However, if you do plan on smoking inside though, never smoke in bed. Make sure you have lots of large ashtrays that cannot be easily knocked over by children or pets. And make sure you keep matches, and lighters outside of the reach of children.
Kitchen Fire Prevention
Another common source of apartment fires is the kitchen. Before you begin cooking make sure your cooking area is clear and that you’re not wearing loose fitting flammable clothing. When cooking, never leave food unattended on the stove or in the oven, and keep flammable objects like potholders, towels, and paper away from the stove. Also make sure your following your apartment’s rules concerning cooking devices.
General Apartment Fire Prevention
Besides smoking inside and unsafe practices in your kitchen, there are many potential hazards to your apartment if you’re not careful in the winter. Electrical issues, space heaters, and open flames are all things to watch out for.
To prevent electrical fires, make sure you plug your major appliances into surge protectors. When you do, you should be careful not to overload the surge protector, check what it’s rated for before your plug too many things into it. Check the condition of your wires regularly, especially if you have pets and children. If you find a frayed or cracked wire, unplug it until you replace it. Never run wires through doorways, between rooms, and under carpets. And if you have a dryer in your apartment, make sure you clean out the lint catcher after every use.
Space heaters are another potential cause of apartment fires. To prevent space heaters from starting a fire make it’s at least three feet from flammable materials when it’s on. Be careful of children and animals with the space heater. Also, you should turn off any space heaters you’re using when you’re not in the room, not at home, or asleep.
If you have a fireplace or use candles in your apartment, be very careful about their use. Open flames should not be used near books, so don’t place candles on a book shelf. Make sure flammable materials aren’t near either candles or a fireplace when you light them. And finally do not leave a fire place or candles burning when you’re not in the room, apartment, or asleep.
Brought to you by The Apartments of Wildewood
At The Apartments of Wildewood, located in stunning St. Mary’s Maryland, we provide spacious homes with access to pools, an on-site gym, and maintenance whenever you need it – and have access to all the information you need to affordably rent a spacious apartment before the Super Bowl. To set up an appointment to check out an apartment rental from Apartments at Wildewood, call us at 301.737.0737 or visit the website!
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