F

all and winter are peak 
seasons for home fires, 
according to the National 
Fire Protection Association 
(NFPA). To protect your home, 
take proactive steps to safeguard 
against fires and to be sure your 
family is ready in case of an 
emergency.
Here are practical things you can 
do to prevent fires from starting, 
and to respond quickly when 
necessary.
Check your smoke detectors. 
Every fall and spring check your 
detectors and replace batteries 
annually. It’s vital to have working 
smoke detectors on every level of 
your home, outside bedrooms and 

near the kitchen (but at least 10 feet 
from cooking appliances).
Schedule an electrical 
inspection. For older homes, or 
if you haven’t had electrical work 
done for years, it’s recommended 
to make sure your home is properly 
wired and up to current safety 
codes.
Keep a close eye on kitchen 
safety. The NFPA reports the 
kitchen as the most common place 
for house fires to start. Unattended 
cooking is a common culprit, 
so make sure to always closely 
monitor your stovetop and oven 
while they’re in use.
Always keep a fire extinguisher 
handy, and make sure you and 

other family members know how 
to use it. Be prepared to use a pan 
lid to smother a grease fire if one 
should arise, as water will make it 
worse.
Consider kitchen appliances 
with built-in safety features. 
Some older appliances don’t offer 
safety features that up-to-date 
technology has made possible. 
Today’s electric and induction 
ranges are considerably safer than 
traditional gas ovens and stovetops, 
as there are no open flames, they 
don’t produce indoor air pollution 
and they’re not capable of causing 
gas leaks.
In addition, if you’re concerned 
about your stovetop accidentally 

getting turned on, you can now 
find electric ranges and cooktops 
that come with a safety locking 
device that can stop their functions. 
For example, some models from 
LG have a built-in safety feature 
that prevents the burners on the 
cooktop from being heated when 
the Lock function is set, even if 
the touch buttons are pressed. It is 
always recommended that you read 
the owner’s manual to ensure that 
you use the product as intended in 
the safest possible manner.
Safeguard your laundry room. 
Another potential area of concern 
for fire safety is your laundry room, 
specifically your clothes dryer. 
While you may remember to clean 
the lint filter, many homeowners 
forget about the dryer’s duct. With 
too much lint buildup in the duct, 
restricted airflow can cause dryers 
to overheat, which could lead to a 
fire.
To help you remember this 
important chore, consider an 
LG Dryer that offers FlowSense 
Duct Clogging and Lint Filter 
Indicators with the LG ThinQ® app 
— which sends you notifications 
when it detects a reduction in 
airflow, prompting you to clean 
the duct. Regular cleaning based 
on these alerts helps maintain 
proper ventilation, reducing risk 
of overheating and ensuring safer 
dryer operation.
Review your emergency plan. 
Make sure that everyone in your 
household knows what to do if a 
smoke detector goes off or there’s a 
fire in progress. Hold regular family 
meetings to review exits from each 
room, and practice where to meet 
outside in case of emergency. This 
can make a difference when there 
are only minutes to exit your home 
safely.
Being proactive, choosing 
appliances with safety features and 
reviewing your emergency plan will 
all give you more peace of mind 
when it comes to fire safety this 
season. 

Act now to protect your home and family.
Fire Safety

(BPT) 

WELCOME HOME

34 | NOVEMBER 28 • 2024 
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