A house fire is reported every 90 seconds in the United States. They are often preventable and kill more people per year than all U.S. natural disasters combined. In fact, deaths from fires and burns are the fifth most common cause of unintentional injury deaths in the U.S. and the third leading cause of fatal home injury. It if for this reason that Philadelphia personal injury attorneys from Messa & Associates would like to educate their public on the importance on smoke detectors, and on the specific variations homes might require.
Personal Injury Attorneys Offer Safety Tips for Preventing and Preparing for a Fire
Safety and education are very important in surviving a fire since most fires take only an average of two minutes to become life-threatening and about five minutes to entirely engulf a home. Because they spread so quickly, in the event of a fire, you must remain focused on getting out.
Everyday activities and items such as cooking, smoking, candles, and space heaters are common causes of fire that can cause burn and personal injuries. The following is a list of small steps you can take to not only help reduce the risk of a fire in your home, but also to prepare your family for survival.
- Check that heaters or stoves are turned off and candles are blown out before leaving home or going to sleep.
- Never smoke in bed or leave matches and lighters in the reach of children.
- Be cautious of overloaded sockets and wiring that looks worn or damaged.
- Make a fire escape plan for your house and involve children in the plan by practicing what to do in the event of an emergency.
- Be certain you have working smoke alarms installed in your home and change the batteries often. A working smoke detector dramatically increases you chance of survival.
Types of Smoke Detectors
There are two different types of smoke detectors available. Ionization smoke detectors and photoelectric smoke detectors are both sold as smoke alarms, but ionization smoke detectors often fail to detect smoldering fires which account for 80 percent of all household fires.
Photoelectric smoke detectors are designed to detect slow-burning fires as well as the flash fires ionization smoke detectors specialize in handling. According to tests performed by the U.S. National Bureau of Standards, photoelectric smoke detectors provide users two to three times more of a chance of escaping a burning building in a fire than ionization smoke detectors. When choosing smoke detectors for your home, be sure to protect your family by choosing photoelectric and/or dual sensor smoke alarms.
Personal Injury Attorneys in Philadelphia and New Jersey
The Philadelphia personal injury attorneys at Messa & Associates are experienced at handling cases involving fires, burns, and explosions. Our extremely skilled team of New Jersey and Philadelphia personal injury attorneys and medical experts is dedicated to ensuring you receive proper compensation for your personal injuries. If you have been injured in a fire or explosion, or have endured any other type of personal injury, contact the personal injury attorneys of Messa & Associates for a free consultation. Call, toll free, at 1-877-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry.
