Spring cleaning: Vital for fire safety

  • Published
  • By 341st Civil Engineer Squadron
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Spring cleaning can take on another meaning. It's the ideal time to check your home and property for unsafe conditions that may cause or support a fire.

This can be accomplished by taking a few minutes to plan a safety clean-up day. You will want to check each room in your house, including the basement - if you have one. Also, don't forget garages, yards and storage sheds.

Follow the checklist below to guide your spring cleaning: 
  • Remove all hazards; check and correct things like:
  • Frayed or damaged appliance cords, wiring, fuses or breakers
  • Piles of rubbish, trash and yard debris
  • Remove stacks of paper and magazines; take them to recycling centers
  • Check for water leaks, especially near electrical appliances
  • Check for good clearance between heating appliances and combustibles

Properly store flammable liquids and home chemicals
  • Make sure gasoline and cleaning fluids are well marked and are out of the reach of children and pets. Store them in a cool, dry place outside the house.
  • Clean up work areas; put dangerous tools, adhesives, matches or other work items away and out of any child's reach.
  • Inventory all home and yard chemicals, paints and poisons. Store them according to their label. Properly dispose of any that are expired or leaking or look bad but don't throw them in the trash or down the drain.
  • Make sure all chemicals are kept out of reach of children.

Check fire protection and safety equipment
  • Check your smoke detector now while you're thinking about it. If you need help checking your detector, call the 341st Civil Engineer Squadron Fire and Emergency Services team. Most importantly, make sure your smoke detector works - replace batteries if necessary.
  • Check your home fire extinguisher for serviceability and placement if you have one.
  • Make sure all doors and windows open easily for fast escapes and that street numbers are posted properly and are visible.
  • Check and make sure you have a working flashlight handy for nighttime evacuation and power outages.
Plan your escape now 
  • Sit down with your family and make sure that everyone knows what to do in the event of a fire. Review your home family escape plan.
  • Make sure you have two ways out of every room and that you have a meeting place outside the house for the whole family.
Practice the plan. Even the best plan is no good if you don't practice it.
You can do a lot to protect yourself, your family and your home. In fact, you are the key to your safety. A little time spent on simple common sense prevention will do a lot to make your house a safer place. Please call the 341st CES Fire and Emergency Services team at 731-4836, 731-4100 or 731-4098, and we will show you more ways you can protect yourself all year long.

Some content for this article was taken from the U.S. Fire Administration.