Your Villa - East Valley - April - June 2022

D E S I G N + B U I L D Tips to protect your family from home fires BrandPointContent.com edited by YourVilla Sta Nobody wants to believe a catastrophic event like a fire can happen to them, but home fires affect tens of thousands of families every year. Take the following steps to ensure your family and home are protected from the unexpected. 1) Test, maintain and replace. Correct smoke alarm placement, regular maintenance and alarm replacement are essential parts of a comprehensive fire safety plan. Once alarms are installed on every level and in every bedroom, test them regularly, change the batteries every six months if battery-powered and be sure all alarms have a battery backup if hardwired. 2) Plan and practice your escape plan. Involve everybody in your household when developing an emergency escape plan. Collectively identify two exits out of each room, including windows and doors, and set a dedicated meeting spot outside. 3) Identify your exit. Doors are a great way to gauge the closeness of a fire. Before opening a door, feel the doorknob or higher on the door with the back of your hand. If it is hot, or if there is smoke coming around the door, leave it closed and use your second way out. If you decide to open a door, do it slowly and be ready to shut it quickly if heavy smoke is present. 4) Stay low. If you encounter smoke while escaping from a fire, consider using an alternative escape route. However, heavy smoke and poisonous gases collect first along the ceiling, so if you must escape through smoke, drop to the floor, crawl on your hands and knees. 5) Close windows and doors. Before bed or when leaving home, you should always close windows and doors as a preventative measure. This is important because oxygen will allow fires to continue to grow if a fire does start. 10 | YourVilla Magazine A H O M E O R G A N I Z I N G C O M P A N Y getting N E AT I S C L O S E R T H A N Y OU think. Home Organizing: Bathrooms Closets Kitchens & Pantries Nurseries & Playrooms Offices Moves & Relocation and more... bri.vanlierop@neatmethod.com www.neatmethod.com/pages/inland-empire (951) 243-4746 NEAT Method Inland Empire specializes in organizing, unpacking and downsizing homes and offices across Inland Empire. We make the space you have functional for the life you live. B r i V a n L i e r o p A S S E E N I N (951) 354-0500 (951) 506-1903 PatioWorldOnline.com Snag Your Summer Spot Before It’s Gone! Going, Going...