Download to PDF

Home Fire Safety Inspection

Home Fire Safety
Inspection

Community Fire Safety Operational Guide                                                                          Participant Guideline

Easy Steps to Completing a Home Fire Safety Inspection


   Over 90% of the fire fatalities experienced in the United States occur in single family and multi-family dwellings. Additionally, fires in these same dwellings account for over 80% of all fire related injuries. Unfortunately, the place where all these fatalities and injuries occur is the only place your local fire department cannot inspect, your home. Knowing this, the Virginia State Fire and EMS Association encourages you to take it upon yourself to safeguard your family and perform a fire safety inspection in your home at least twice a year.

  • Make the home inspection a family project and include everyone in the process.
  • Utilize the Home Fire Safety Checklists provided by your instructor to complete the inspection of your home.
  • The inspection should be performed twice a year: once in the spring and once in the fall.
  • Once deficiencies are identified, make it a priority to correct them immediately.

Five Quick Tips

  1. Schedule a fire safety inspection and include the entire family in the process.
  2. Make corrections as soon as problems are found, and assign unresolved tasks to to family members to be completed within two weeks.
  3. Do not overlook areas such as crawl spaces, porches and attics.
  4. Speak to your home owner’s insurance agent to check for potential savings due to your safety efforts.
  5. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE.

 

Simple Steps for Your Home Fire Inspection

  • Be prepared with several items to assist you, including: step ladder, screwdrivers, pliers, batteries, gloves, eye protection and checklist.
  • Start on the lowest level of your home and work up. Finish by inspecting the outside and garage areas.
  • If you can make corrections immediately, do so. If not, make notes on what will be required to make corrections, and assign the tasks to a specific family member for completion.
  • If corrections are beyond your expertise, hire a professional to make them.
  • Maintain all inspection records to refer to during subsequent inspections.

 

Critical Tasks for Each Inspection

  • Dust and clean your smoke alarm, and replace batteries if needed.
  • Remove covers of all vent fans, and thoroughly clean the fan motor and blades as well as the cover (ALWAYS DISCONECT THE POWER FIRST).
  • Change all furnace filters.
  • Move dryer, and clean thoroughly underneath it. Also clean out the dryer vent pipe.
  • Remove all accumulated clutter, newspapers, clothing and trash.

A two hour time
investment can
protect your family
for six months.

 
“Smoke Alarms and Exit Drills in the Home...A Plan You Can Live With”