Over 50% of deaths from fires in homes happen in the bedroom — a staggering statistic that serves to alert everyone who has a bedroom to the critical need for basic fire safety measures. The bedroom fire safety tips below are provided by Utah Flood Cleanup, your local flood, mold, and fire damage restoration service. Use the handy list below to help you identify hazards and implement solutions to potential electrical issues and other causes of fires in bedrooms.
Bedroom Fire Statistics
Here are some additional national statistics on bedroom fires, provided by the U.S. Fire Administration, a fire data collection arm of FEMA, for 2013 through 2015:
- 51% of residential deaths from fire occurred between 11 pm and 7 am.
- 37% of the fire victims were attempting to escape when they died.
- 32% of the victims were still sleeping at the time of death.
- The leading causes of home fires were 13% from smoking.
- 16% were attributed to other “unintentional” or “careless” actions.
Safety Tips for Fire Prevention in the Bedroom
The number of tragedies due to fires in bedrooms arguably could have been much smaller, if only the recommendations below, for simple daily safety practices had been followed:
- Confirm that all mattresses meet the Federal Mattress Flammability Standard.
- Do not sleep with your electric blanket turned on. Do not fold the blanket, as this can damage the wiring and increase fire risk. Examine the blanket routinely for signs of overheating.
- Only use bed warmers and electric blankets approved by CPSC-accepted testing laboratories.
- Do not run power cords under bedroom furniture, rugs, or carpeting.
- Do not press cords between walls and furniture. This can cause heat to build up in the cord.
- Keep cords untangled while in use, to help heat distribute evenly through the cord.
- Do not overload an extension cord by powering too many devices with it at the same time.
- Make sure space heaters are never left alone, and always turn them off before you go to sleep.
- Do not smoke in bed, because the risk of falling asleep in bed while smoking is higher than while sitting upright in another room.
- Have arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) installed on all electrical switches. The AFCI, also called a circuit breaker, shuts down the circuit, when an unexpected electrical discharge occurs in the circuit, helping to prevent a potential electrical fire.
- Keep space heaters, electronic devices, and other potential causes of fire a minimum of three feet away from walls, electrical sources, and all other objects.
- Keep candle flames far from drapes, bedding, clothing, paper, perfume bottles, and any other flammables. Consider using electric or battery-powered candle alternatives.
- Do not create fire hazards by placing electrical battery charging devices on or under bedding.
- This includes leaving a cell phone or laptop on a bed while charging.
- Install smoke alarms throughout your home, including in the bedrooms. Test your smoke detectors monthly. Change the batteries yearly, and replace smoke detectors every ten years or more frequently.
- Create your own fire emergency plan. Include two exits for each room. Practice the plan by conducting a home fire drill with all occupants of the home, one time during the day and one at night.
Utah Flood Cleanup, North Ogden Utah
We are a disaster cleanup company in Utah. We specialize in flood, mold, and fire damage restoration services. Our disaster remediation experts can provide our region’s highest quality of building restoration services. We are the customer advocate when working with your insurance company to ensure appropriate coverage of all damages. We strictly follow IICRC S-500 and S-520 guidelines and do not take shortcuts to get work done at the expense of quality.
Our team of experts holds numerous professional Certifications, Licenses, Awards, and Affiliations. Our industry credentials include ASD, IICRC WTR, CDS, Certified Mold Professional validation, RRP Certification, Asbestos Contractor, Supervisor, and Inspector designations, among others.
We provide services throughout Salt Lake City and the surrounding Davis and Utah County areas. Our fire and smoke restoration services feature 24/7 emergency service and 1-hour response time.
For more information about our disaster restoration services, or to schedule a free damage inspection, call Utah Flood Cleanup, Salt Lake City UT, at 801-416-2666, or send us an online request for contact.
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