Each new season presents its own fire hazards, but as the weather starts to cool, the average number of residential and outdoor fires increases. Simply being cautious can go a long way in protecting your home, but here are some special considerations for fire safety as the weather starts to cool.
1.Fire Alarm Systems
f you already have installed security systems in your Washington. home, you are off to a good start. An important part of home security in Seattle is having a fire alarm that is activated if a fire is detected. Security systems in Washington homes alert an alarm company in the event of a fire, and the alarm company then notifies the local fire department. This is just one way home security in Seattle helps protect the people and things that mean the most to you.
2. Space Heaters
Many people like to use space heaters to make a room toasty warm in the winter. Space heaters can also prevent the need to use a furnace to heat the entire house when only one room needs to be heated. However, they can be extremely dangerous. Here are some good rules to follow when using space heaters:
- Purchase a space heater with an automatic cut-off switch that turns the heater off if it overheats or gets knocked over.
- Never place clothing on a space heater to dry.
- Keep all drapes and furniture a safe distance from the space heater.
- Turn your space heater off when you are not home.
- Any objects that can easily catch fire should be kept far away from the space heater when it is in use.
- Space heaters might overheat if the air intake gets blocked. Make sure there is a minimum of three feet of space on all sides of the space heater.
3. Home Heating
People use different devices to heat their homes during the cold months. Before turning on your heating device for the first time, thoroughly inspect the unit and make certain it is working correctly. Many problems can develop in a heating device when it sits over the spring and summer. Checking your heating device will not only help to keep you safe from a possible fire, it will also decrease the chances that your device will break down in the middle of the winter when you need it most.
4. Fireplaces
If you use fireplaces to heat your home, or just to add supplemental heat, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- If you have a natural gas fireplace, have a technician check out the connections and lines prior to the cold weather arriving.
- Once every year, have your chimney cleaned and inspected.
- Use a screen to prevent sparks from shooting out of your fireplace.
- Never use gasoline to start fires in the fireplace.
- Make sure someone is always watching the fire.
5. Battery Changes
Devices used to detect smoke and carbon monoxide need regular battery changes. If this task is neglected, there is a chance they will not work when they are needed. Set up a routine for yourself. The easiest thing to do is to change the batteries in all of your devices during Daylight Savings Time. Use this time to also check your fire extinguishers.
6. Leaf Burning
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends discarding yard debris in other ways since burning leaves produces dangerous cancer-causing chemicals. Since many families still prefer to burn their leaves, however, here are some tips to help keep the fire contained:
-Always keep a water hose handy.
-Burn leaves and yard debris in barrels, if possible.
-Keep the fires away from buildings, fuel sources and trees.
-Check the weather report, since this activity should not be attempted on windy days.
-Wear a protective mask, since burning leaves produces cancer-causing chemicals.
For more than 100 years, Bellingham Lock & Safe has been a part of the Bellingham community, providing security products for local homes and businesses.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Outdated Security Systems Cost Seattle Residents in Money and Aggravation - Is Your Security System Up-to-Date?
The security system in your home is like any other electronic component you may have lying around the house. It is only a matter of time before it becomes outdated and obsolete. It is important to know when this occurs, especially since you are relying on the security system to protect the people you love and the possessions you have worked hard for.
We are fortunate to be living in an amazing age of technology. Because of this, there is constantly new and improved equipment available on the market, so much so that it is often difficult to keep track of all the different technological advances. The home security field is one of those industries that is always developing new ways to keep you and your family safe.
If you feel like your home security system is not as good as it can possibly be, an expert can come to your house and examine your current system to find out if your home security in Seattle is outdated. However, the following items should give you some idea as to whether your security system is outdated or not:
1. No Outside Surveillance
While a home security system should monitor all parts of your house to make sure they are safe and secure, the best security systems today offer the ability to monitor all of your property's outside perimeters. It is wise to have cameras watching your driveways or parking area. If you park your car outside, you should always have a camera pointing directly at it. Intruders are often scared off if they trigger outside alarms, preventing them from getting close to your house. You should upgrade if the outside of your house is not adequately protected.
2. Wiring
If a criminal wants to disable security systems in Washington, one of the first things they will attempt is to neutralize the wiring. Often, it only requires a pair of wire cutters to render an expensive security system inoperative. However, new security systems are designed with back-up power sources. This type of back-up makes it impossible to defeat the system by simply cutting the wires. If you have a security system that has wired sensors, or if it is dependent on an analog system or a keypad, you need to upgrade to a more secure system immediately.
3. Low-Camera Resolution
Obviously, if a crime occurs at your home, you want to be able to see who committed it. Any hope of finding and arresting the people responsible rests with the video images being as clear as possible. If your home security system video resembles the video from a black-and-white convenience store security camera, you need to get a better camera. Luckily for homeowners, the resolution quality of cameras that serve as the eyes of security systems in Washington has increased dramatically in recent years.
Hopefully, you will never have to experience someone breaking into your home. However, these things do happen, so you need to be prepared in order to protect your family. Many burglaries and home invasions happen in neighborhoods that are considered safe. Therefore, many people lower their guard, thinking it will never happen to them. Do not make this mistake. For the safety of you and your family, upgrade your home security in Seattle today.
We are fortunate to be living in an amazing age of technology. Because of this, there is constantly new and improved equipment available on the market, so much so that it is often difficult to keep track of all the different technological advances. The home security field is one of those industries that is always developing new ways to keep you and your family safe.
If you feel like your home security system is not as good as it can possibly be, an expert can come to your house and examine your current system to find out if your home security in Seattle is outdated. However, the following items should give you some idea as to whether your security system is outdated or not:
1. No Outside Surveillance
While a home security system should monitor all parts of your house to make sure they are safe and secure, the best security systems today offer the ability to monitor all of your property's outside perimeters. It is wise to have cameras watching your driveways or parking area. If you park your car outside, you should always have a camera pointing directly at it. Intruders are often scared off if they trigger outside alarms, preventing them from getting close to your house. You should upgrade if the outside of your house is not adequately protected.
2. Wiring
If a criminal wants to disable security systems in Washington, one of the first things they will attempt is to neutralize the wiring. Often, it only requires a pair of wire cutters to render an expensive security system inoperative. However, new security systems are designed with back-up power sources. This type of back-up makes it impossible to defeat the system by simply cutting the wires. If you have a security system that has wired sensors, or if it is dependent on an analog system or a keypad, you need to upgrade to a more secure system immediately.
3. Low-Camera Resolution
Obviously, if a crime occurs at your home, you want to be able to see who committed it. Any hope of finding and arresting the people responsible rests with the video images being as clear as possible. If your home security system video resembles the video from a black-and-white convenience store security camera, you need to get a better camera. Luckily for homeowners, the resolution quality of cameras that serve as the eyes of security systems in Washington has increased dramatically in recent years.
Hopefully, you will never have to experience someone breaking into your home. However, these things do happen, so you need to be prepared in order to protect your family. Many burglaries and home invasions happen in neighborhoods that are considered safe. Therefore, many people lower their guard, thinking it will never happen to them. Do not make this mistake. For the safety of you and your family, upgrade your home security in Seattle today.
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