Are You Ready for Spring?

Spring Ahead & Check Your Smoke Detectors 

It’s been a long, rough winter. Throughout the Midwest, residents are ready for a new season! We have already enjoyed the first sign of the approaching change – springing the clock forward an hour in accordance with Daylight Savings Time. McCabe Group Insurance Agency also encourages homeowners to treat this event as a critical reminder for checking and replacing the batteries in your home’s smoke detectors.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, direct property loss due to fires was an estimated $14.6 billion nationwide in 2007, and fires killed more Americans than all natural disasters combined.

“A smoke detector can only save lives if it has working batteries,” says Andrew McCabe of McCabe Group Insurance Agency. “Families, including small children, should know what the smoke detector sounds like and what to do if they hear it.”

McCabe Group offers some fire safety basics to discuss and practice at home with all family members:

• Check the batteries in your smoke detectors often.  Keep extra batteries on hand and replace them every six months.
• Check your smoke detectors monthly.  Replace any that are 10 years or older.  Make sure everyone knows that the piercing sound means danger, and they should      escape quickly.
• Position detectors smartly.  Place one on every level of your home and near areas where you and your family sleep.
• Keep fire extinguishers handy.  Make sure there’s at least one on each floor – especially near the kitchen, garage, laundry room and workshop.
• Teach children that they should never hide in closets or under beds when there is a fire.  Tell them firefighters may look scary when they’re wearing their protective gear, but they are there to save you.
• Talk with your family and make sure everyone knows what to do in case a fire breaks out.  Make sure you have two ways out of your house. Create a fire safety plan, with a designated meeting place.
• Inventory your home. Take the time to complete an inventory record of your personal property. In addition to completing an inventory record, take photos or      videotape your items. It will make it easier to replace an item if you have a photo of it.  Hopefully it’s something you’ll never have to consult in the wake of a disaster, but having a readily accessible home inventory list can make the difference when taking the first steps toward recovery.

For more information on fire safety or other safety topics, contact Andrew J. McCabe of McCabe Agency at 414-961-1166.