Fire Prevention Tips For The Upcoming Holidays
When thinking about the holidays, you may not be thinking about fire prevention. Furthermore, you definitely aren’t thinking about homeowners insurance that would cover in case of a fire. That’s okay because we did the thinking and research for you! Check out our master list of fire prevention tips for this holiday season and how to make sure your home is covered in the unfortunate event of a fire.
Holiday lights, candles, and Christmas trees automatically increase your risk of a fire in the next couple of months, but you don’t have to fall victim to it!
HOLIDAY DECORATING
Take fire prevention into your hands right off the bat! When picking out decorations for your home, make sure that they’re flame resistant or retardant. When lighting candles, keep them away from things that can catch fire like curtains and lamps, and always make sure they’re out of reach of children and pets. Two of every five decoration fires happen because decorations are placed too close to a heat source and one-third of home decor fires are started by candles. When using strand lights to hang around the house, make sure they’re LED lights and that they’re equipped and made to be used indoors! Lights that are made for the outdoors are not made to be used inside, so different precautions are made with each.
25% of Christmas tree fires are caused by electrical problems – be sure to check your lights before using them! Make sure there are no exposed or frayed wires. If there’s any sign of cord damage, toss the lights. If you’re using a real Christmas tree, make sure you’re watering your tree every two to three days. A real tree can dry out pretty quickly and if it dries up too much, it can easily catch fire.
Don’t overload a circuit! This is something that is often overlooked. A typical circuit can power around 500 strings of 50-bulb LED lights. If your decorating requires more than this, spread them out among different circuits. Once you’ve got set locations for all of your electrical decorations, remember to unplug them before going to bed or leaving the house. You wouldn’t leave the house while something is cooking on the stovetop, so why leave a live circuit unattended?
HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE – IS YOUR HOME COVERED FOR FIRE?
According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), homeowners insurance typically pays out more for fire, lightning, and debri removal than any other loss type. Further, fire insurance coverage is covered in most standard homeowners insurance policies. You can also buy standalone fire insurance. Below is a list of what financial losses policies might cover, even if a fire was caused by accident;
Dwelling coverage and personal property. This includes costs of repair to singed or burned parts of the house. If your house is completely burned down, you can get paid a lump sum for the house up to your limits. Personal Property covers clothing, furniture, and other belongings.
Liability protection and “Loss of Use”. This protects against lawsuit for a fire that spread from your house to your neighbor’s property. Some insurers will reimburse you for temporary housing and food costs during evacuation.
Always make sure you’re taking preemptive steps to avoid disaster. However, in the case that an accident does occur, having a plan and knowing your coverage and amounts you need can be extremely helpful. In every case, you’ll want the limits on your policy to be high enough to cover the cost of rebuilding your home.
