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Nobody wants to think about their home on fire. Yet, if you do not take steps to protect your biggest investment and your family, that is when a fire is mostly likely to occur. There is a lot you can do to prepare for such a catastrophic event, but you have to do it all if you are really going to be ready. Follow the handy guide below.

Fire Alarm Systems

Installing a fire alarm system is absolutely necessary. This is your first line of defense, especially when you and your family are sound asleep. Almost all fires break out when people are sleeping, giving inhabitants only seconds to wake up and get out. An alarm wakes the whole house immediately, and helps everyone get out safely.

​Ladders for the Second Story

​There are fire ladders you can buy from a home goods store. There should be one fire ladder for every bedroom in the second story. Once these ladders are secured to the windows, you should also have everyone practice using these them. This prepares all the adults and children in the house and teaches everyone how and where to escape if and when their own bedroom doors are blocked or consumed by fire.

​Fire Escape Routes

As a family, you should decide which are the fastest and easiest routes out of the home when there is a fire. Draw up floor plans with the escape routes, and include a meeting point outside the house where the whole family should go. Practice these escape routes with everyone at least once a month. Also, practice alternate routes, with fire ladders and pretend blocked doors. This is equally as important as installing the fire alarm system.

​Fire Extinguishers

Along with all of the above, make sure you have fire extinguishers in several areas of the house. If you see a small fire, the nearest extinguisher can help put the fire out. The alarm will still sound, but at least the fire will not get far. You can always silence an alarm, but you only have one short chance to put out a fire before it destroys everything. Place an extinguisher in the kitchen, the living room, and the upstairs hallway. Also, placing an extinguisher in your garage and one in the trunk of your vehicle is a good idea as well. Now you are ready for any fire, wherever it breaks out.