TREASURE COAST \u2013 As cooler weather starts to prevail in south Florida, the risk of at-home fires sometimes seem to increase.<\/p>\n
With October designated as Fire Safety Month nationwide, Chrissy Gregory, vice president of franchise operations, of United Water Restoration Group, offers tips to help Treasure Coast residents be safe not only this month but year-round.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Check smoke alarms regularly. Test batteries monthly and replace units every 10 years.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Create a home escape plan to make sure everyone knows two ways out of each room and where to meet outside.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Stay safe in the kitchen. Never leave the stove unattended and keep flammable items away from burners. \u201cGrease fires are the second common cause of fires that we see,\u201d Gregory said.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Maintain heating equipment. Furnaces, chimneys and space heaters should be inspected before use.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Always remove lint from filters in clothes dryers after use. \u201cWith a dryer, the buildup of lint adds more heat to what you\u2019re drying,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Changing air filters on window air-conditioners regularly also is important, she said.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Put all important documents on a computer flash drive or through cloud storage. \u201cThings like birth certificates, insurance policies, especially insurance policies in case of fire,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u2022 During the holiday season, be careful of the type of battery packs that may be used for lights, Gregory said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a handful of jobs resulting from Christmas lights when people purchase battery packs from overseas,\u201d she said. \u201cEven if the lights are off, if the battery pack is not sufficient to handle the load, it could overheat.\u201d<\/p>\n
No matter how small the fire damage may be to a home, it\u2019s important not to treat restoration as a \u201cdo-it-yourself\u201d project, Gregory said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen there is a fire, some of these gasses can be toxic,\u201d she said. \u201cAt least call out a professional company or you could make it worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Port St. Lucie-based United Water Restoration Group takes on jobs from Vero Beach south to Hobe Sound, she said.<\/p>\n