Summer might be officially here but it’s not really time for campfires and barbeques!! We hear it on the news everyday—more fires are popping up here in Colorado. With record drought, it comes with the territory. It is one of those uncontrollable forces of nature and its near constant presence leaves everyone on edge. There is no stopping Mother Nature for showing off her fury when the conditions are right, but you’ve heard the expression an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure, right? That quote actually is said to have come from Benjamin Franklin, who was addressing Philadelphians to advise them to be vigilant against fire back in 1736. It certainly applies to us today. So, what can we do when fire is at our back door?
SPECIAL NOTE: Burn Ban in Colorado Springs effective May 16, 2022 at noon (MDT)and will remain until rescinded. This incudes grills. For more information, visit coswildfireready.org/burn-ban(link is external)Here are a few safety tips to plan ahead for fire safety:
1) First of all, make sure you have a smoke alarm installed and that it is functioning with proper batteries. Test it from time to time.
2) Have a family meeting and put a plan in place in case something does happen. If the authorities say you have to evacuate, are you prepared? Put the most precious and irreplaceable items in a place where you could grab them quickly if you needed to leave in a hurry. How will you contact loved ones if you get separated? What is your emergency escape plan?
3) Prepare the outside of your home. Remove dead vegetation from around your home and clean out the gutters. Move firewood far away from your home. Also, check to make sure your wiring is in good working order.
4) Take care when cooking, heating. If you have something on the stove or a candle burning, do not leave it unattended. Be careful when using space heaters. They can be very dangerous. Make sure to not run generators in the house.
5) Make sure you have insurance that protects you if there is a fire in your home and keep track of your belongings. Prepare ahead of time to inventory what you have in case the worst possible scenario happens. Tenisha Sanderson, a multi-line agent from Sanderson Insurance Group, said, “I advise all my clients to take pictures or video of each room every two to three years at least and upload them to the cloud. If they are unable to take pictures or videos, there is a home inventory sheet that can be downloaded from Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association website to list all personal items. At Sanderson Insurance Group, we offer to hold pictures or videos in our clients electronic file, which I suggest other clients to ask their insurance company if that’s possible. Lastly, if they are unable to do the above, at least put pictures, important documents, receipts or invoices confirming purchases be placed in a fire proof box/ safety deposit box.”
