Before the Heat Goes On: America’s Home Fire Safety Check Starts With the Escape Route
Society / The autumn home check Before the heat goes on, know the way out. The fall home fire check starts with working alarms, clear exits and a safer place for every heater. A fireplace is part of a larger heating system. A screen does not replace professional chimney and equipment maintenance. Photo: U.S. Fire Administration; staged safety-outreach photograph. The fall home fire check starts with working alarms, clear exits and a safer place for every heater. 01 / AT HOME The season changes. The route out should not be a surprise. The first cold evening invites a familiar sequence: find the portable heater, pull a blanket over the sofa, close the windows and settle in. A better autumn ritual starts somewhere less comfortable. Walk from the bedroom to the door. Notice the shoes in the hallway, the chair beside the heater and the alarm no one remembers testing. Home fire preparation is not just about owning equipment. It is about whether the people who live there can use the warning ...