William Mattar Fire Prevention Program Offers Free Smoke Detectors

As cooler weather approaches, many of us will begin turning on the heat or stoking fires to keep our homes warm. It’s important to remember during this time of year that the threat of a house fire is a real and deadly danger.

Estimates from the National Fire Protection Association show that there were approximately 365,000 house fires in the United States in 2012. These incidents resulted in 12,875 people suffering serious injuries and another 2,380 losing their lives.

So what’s being done to prevent house fires in the U.S.? Many are hoping to raise awareness about these dangers by naming the month of October as Fire Safety Month.

To help keep New Yorkers safe, William Mattar Law Offices is offering free smoke detectors to the public as part of the William Mattar Fire Prevention Program (Update: Program has ended). To get a free smoke detector for your home, simply register to participate. You will  receive a gift certificate for a free smoke detector from Ed Young’s True Value Hardware in Williamsville, New York.

We would also like to offer these tips to help protect you and your family from the dangers posed by fires:

1. Have Heating Systems Inspected- Each year, furnaces and heating systems should be examined thoroughly by a professional to ensure proper function. Chimneys should also be swept annually.
2. Establish boundaries- Bonfires and fire pits can be a great source of recreation on a cool evening, but children who get too close can get burned. Establish an eight-foot boundary around any open fire that children are not allowed to cross.
3. Have a plan- No one expects his or her home to catch fire, which is why it’s important to be prepared. Establish an escape route from each room in your home, as well as a location for your family to meet outside of the home in the event a fire breaks out.

Our Buffalo personal injury lawyers hope these tips help you have a warm and safe fall and winter.