Welcome to Week 1 of Building Safety Month 2023! As part of our “Building Safety is Personal” theme, this week we’re highlighting “Building Safety Starts At Home” and how building safety impacts our everyday life as family members, friends and individuals at home. Here we’ll dive into everything from fire safety tips and home maintenance best practices, to how to be more sustainable to ensure a cleaner and greener tomorrow.
What are some ways building safety impacts you at home? Join the Building Safety Month conversation – tag the International Code Council on social media, and use #BuildingSafety365 to help spread the word!
Fire Safety at Home
Modern homes and buildings incorporate the latest building codes and are designed to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other risks. While building safety professionals help maintain this system, there are things we can do at home to stay safe and help reduce the risk of fire. If a fire does break out, it’s also critical to know how to make a safe exit – it takes less than 30 seconds for a small flame to burn completely out of control and turn into a major fire.
Here we’ve listed a few fire safety tips, and be sure to download and review our complete guides below.
- Put a smoke alarm on every level of your home, outside each sleeping area and inside every bedroom.
- Test each smoke alarm regularly. Keep batteries fresh by replacing them annually.
- Make an escape plan so everyone knows how to get out fast. Pick a meeting place outside the home where everyone will meet.
- Portable heaters need their space. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away.
- Keep all items that can burn away from your home, clean leaves from your gutters and clear dead leaves and branches from shrubs and trees.