While often overlooked, fire safety is a critical aspect of homeownership. In many cases, fires occur suddenly and spread rapidly, which poses a serious risk to you, your loved ones, and your property. As a homeowner, it’s crucial to be proactive by implementing precautionary measures to protect yourself. To learn how to prevent disaster from happening in your home, here are six critical fire safety tips every homeowner should know.

Set up smoke alarms.

The best way to prevent a fire is through vigilance, and smoke alarms are one of the most effective tools for early fire detection.

To practice good fire safety, be sure to set up smoke alarms on every level of your home, including both the inside and outside of each sleeping area.

And don’t forget to test them out! Monthly testing is of utmost importance in order to guarantee your alarms are working properly. Additionally, be sure to replace the batteries at least once a year or the entire alarm every ten years to ensure they’re in optimal working condition.

Create an escape plan.

Fires can happen to even the most cautious homeowner. And because of this, developing a comprehensive escape plan can be a lifesaver down the line.

When coming up with a plan of escape, everyone in the household should be involved. Planning a meeting with your loved ones to create a plan together can help ensure that everyone is on the same page in case of an emergency.

A proper plan should outline escape routes from each room in your home. To do this, identify two ways out of every room. Then, come up with a designated meeting place outside of the home where everyone can gather safely.

Keep fire extinguishers on hand.

Every home should be equipped with a fire extinguisher. Fire extinguishers can be invaluable tools for putting out small fires before they escalate.

To play it safe, always keep at least one fire extinguisher on every floor of the living space, particularly in the kitchen where fires are most likely to start.

To use the fire extinguisher, remember the acronym PASS: Pull the pin, Aim the nozzle, Squeeze the handle, and Sweep from side to side.

Practice safe cooking habits.

As previously mentioned, many house fires happen in the kitchen, particularly as a result of unsafe cooking habits.

Luckily there are plenty of ways to reduce your risk. Here are five of the most common:

1. When cooking, never leave food unattended on the stove.
2. Keep flammable items — i.e. dish towels, oven mitts, and paper towels — away from heat sources.
3. Turn pot handles inward.
4. Set a timer to remind you to check on your food while it’s cooking.
5. Keep a fire extinguisher near by when cooking.

Maintain electrical safety.

Electrical fires are one of the most common causes of house fires, with overloaded circuits, frayed wires, or faulty appliances often being most to blame.

Fortunately, electrical fires are super preventable. So be sure to avoid overloading your outlets and extension cords, and remember to never use damaged electrical cords or appliances.

For added security, reach out to a qualified electrician who can take a look at your home’s wiring to see if there are any potential hazards that need to be addressed.

Close your doors at night.

Fires spread very quickly, and when they do, the damage can be catastrophic. If this happens, keeping your doors closed can block the flow of oxygen to the fire. In turn, this keeps it from spreading too quickly, thus giving you and your loved ones more time to escape.

To avoid disaster, try closing the doors in your home at night to prevent the spread of fire and smoke in the event of a fire. For added protection, invest in self-closing hinges or door closers to automatically close doors behind you so you don’t have to.