A personal experience recently prompted me to do this post. And procrastination could of cost me my home. Don’t let it happen to you. Fire Safety In The Home is something you should make a top priority!
Laundry is a household task we all face. And so I worked on mine on Sunday afternoon. My dryer has not been operating well for a few weeks, in fact it takes 3 cycles to dry a load of clothes. And, even when you ran it for one cycle, the dryer got very hot on the outside. So I have always made sure I was close by while running the dryer. A call was needed to my warranty company to have them make a repair, but just did not get around to it.
Sunday afternoon, I was laying on the bed watching TV when I heard this loud sound, a bit like an explosion. I ran down the hall to the laundry room….and there it was….flames coming from the back of my dryer! Lucky for me, I had a fire extinguisher sitting near my fireplace. It’s been in my house for years, and yes, it worked. Seeing flames in your house (outside of a gas stove or fireplace) is pretty unnerving.
Do you have a fire safety plan for your home and family? How will you get out in case of fire? Do you have fire extinguishers? Smoke Alarms? A safe meeting place outside your home where everyone is to gather? All of these sound simple, but how many of us really think about it? Until it’s to late?
I really don’t remember when I bought my fire extinguisher, but had I not had one, I would of either caused some serious water damage, or the fire might have been MUCH worse. So far, it appears to have been contained to the dryer only, and no damage to the walls! Now, cleaning up the “stuff” that comes out of an extinguisher…that’s another story! And also, try not to breath in what comes out of one…it’s tough on the throat!
My smoke detector is connected to my security system, although the system is no longer being monitored. The detector still went off, but we already had the fire out by the time it went off. I actually had to cut the wires to get it to stop, so will be getting a new one, or seeing how to make this operational again.
My story ends well. I just have to get a new dryer and do some house cleaning. But it could of been much worse. Don’t ignore Fire Safety In Your Home. Do You Have a Plan?
If not, sit down with your family and make your plan today. Check to make sure smoke detectors work, and that you have them in the necessary places in your home. Plan escape routes in case of a fire. If you live in a condo building, take a wet towel with you if you have to use the fire stairs. If you run into smoke, it will help you avoid breathing it in.
You’ll be glad you have a plan if you ever need it. But I hope you don’t.
