How to prevent fires in your home

You’ve worked hard to make your home a safe space for your family — and the last thing you want is to put that safety and comfort at risk. While house fires can start quickly and cause significant damage, the good news is most of them are easily preventable. Take these simple precautions to safeguard your home against fire and keep your space a safe one.

1. Install smoke detectors and keep them in good working order. If you don’t already have working smoke detectors in every sleeping area and on each level of your home, it’s time to install them now. To make sure your smoke detectors will work when you need them to, test each of your alarms once a month, carefully vacuum each unit out every six months to prevent dust build-up, and replace your alarms every 10 years or when they stop working properly.
2. Keep a fire extinguisher on hand and learn how to use it. A fire extinguisher is your first line of defence in the face of a fire at home — as long as the fire is small enough for you to safely extinguish without putting yourself in danger. When you’re getting ready to use your fire extinguisher, try to position yourself close to the room’s nearest exit, around three metres away from the fire, and use the PASS method to put out the fire:
   • Pull: Pull the pin out of the fire extinguisher.
   • Aim: Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire.
   • Squeeze: Squeeze the trigger slowly and evenly.
   • Sweep: Sweep the extinguisher from side to side until you’ve covered the whole fire and you’re sure it’s out.
3. Practice safe kitchen habits. The kitchen is the most common place for a household fire to break out, and it can happen in the blink of an eye. When you’re cooking, roll up your sleeves to keep flammable materials away from hot pans and heat-generating appliances, avoid using too much oil or overheating oil, turn pot and pan handles toward the back of the stove to avoid accidentally knocking them over, never leave a hot pan unattended, keep kids out of the kitchen while you’re cooking, and make sure you have a kitchen-safe fire extinguisher nearby (not all extinguishers can be used for fires involving oil).
4. Only smoke outdoors, and properly dispose of your cigarettes. If anyone in your household smokes, limit smoking to an outdoor area away from flammable materials, and put extinguished butts in a can of water or sand to allow them to fully cool down before you dispose of them.
5. Take precautions to prevent electrical fires in your house. Avoid overloading your outlets and power bars, keep heat-producing appliances (such as your toaster, kettle, or air fryer) unplugged when you aren’t using them, follow the directions that come with your appliances, and contact an electrician if there are signs of electrical trouble, such as:
   • Burn marks near electrical sockets or on walls
   • Appliances or power cords that feel hot to the touch
   • A burning smell or spark when you plug something in
   • The feeling of an electric shock when you plug something in
   • A breaker or fuse that frequently trips or blows

Protect your Bermuda home from fire with insurance from BF&M

While you may take all of the right precautions to prevent a fire at home, it’s not always possible — and that’s why you need a good insurance policy to cover the cost of repairing or replacing your home and belongings if they’re damaged in a fire. Get a quote for a new home insurance policy from BF&M and get covered today.
 
If you’re already a BF&M customer, you can log in to review your insurance policy online and make sure your sums insured are sufficient for your current situation. If the value of your home or belongings has gone up, you may need to make changes to your limits to ensure you aren’t underinsured.
 
To make changes to your existing coverage or ask questions about buying a new home insurance policy, contact our customer service team at +1 441 295 5566 — we’re here to help.