Fireproofing your home

7/7/2022 (Permalink)

Pictured is a home on fire in Bristol, WI

After celebrating the United States of America’s 245^th birthday earlier this week you may have heard about multiple fires that started on garages, homes, or just outside of homes and commercial properties. Fire damage is nothing to scoff at and in the beautiful summer months the last thing you want to have to worry about is fire damage. With summer months bringing some heat, at times we can go for stretches without rain here in SE Wisconsin. In fact, drought.gov released a drought monitor on July 5^th of this year stating that the areas of SE Wisconsin and NE Illinois are experiencing abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions.

Experiencing abnormally dry weather increases the risk of fire tremendously. drought.gov lists that one of the risks of a moderate drought is a “high fire risk”.

Believe it or not, of the deadliest fires in US history happened on Wisconsin soil. In Peshtigo, WI on October 8, 1871, the same day as the Great Chicago Fire, a fire rampaged through the area taking the lives of approximately 1,152 people.

All that being said, here at SERVPRO we want to give you a few tips to fireproof your home or property.

1. Getting rid of dead vegetation

Although the spring and summer months in Wisconsin seem to pass by bringing a cold winter, most of us enjoy landscaping and making our yard look nice while we are graced with warm weather. But, it’s important that during this time that you ensure that no dead or dry vegetation is on your property. Dead and dry vegetation like pine needles, dried leaves, dead shrubs pose a great fire risk.

2. Keep your gutters clean

Climbing a ladder and cleaning out your gutters during the spring months isn’t something that is very enjoyable but is very important. It’s not only important because the dry leaves and debris that accumulate pose a fire risk, but because it can also cause improper drainage when It does rain. This can cause interior and exterior water damage as well.

3. Ensure all smoke detectors are working

Finally, one of the most important things is to install or make sure all smoke detectors are working in your home. With most fires happening at night, having a smoke detector is lifesaving. Regular maintenance on all alarms/detectors is one of the most important things you can do it prevent or be notified of a fire in your home. Consider looking into smart detectors as well which will also notify you with a notification on your phone.  Also consider installing these smart detectors in each room in your home for maximum fire detection.

Here at SERVPRO of South Kenosha County we are equipped and ready to take care of fire damage. You can find out more about how we deal with fire damage here. Fires in a home or property are stressful and something that no one should have to go through, but if you find yourself in the situation where your home or property has fire damage we will promptly be at your side to assist you in making it “Like it never even happened”.

Source: drought.gov/current-conditions