Fire safety is critical for homeowners. One essential part of fire safety is having a fire extinguisher in an emergency. However, merely owning one is not enough. Proper placement is critical to saving yourself and your belongings when flames erupt. In this guide, we’ll review where you should keep one to stay safe.

High-Risk Areas

Certain areas in a home or workplace are more likely to have fires than others. For example, most families cook in the kitchen, and you’ll likely see a fire here before you would the bathroom. Workshops and garages are also high-risk areas because of the tools that are used, and gars have gasoline, which is highly flammable. A fire extinguisher should be readily available in each of these areas.

Smoker’s Bedrooms

A fire happens somewhere in the nation about every 23 seconds. Many of these are due to accidents, and falling asleep with a lit cigarette is a common way for house fires to start. Encourage smokers to avoid smoking indoors as a preventative measure. Have an extinguisher readily available in case the bed goes up in flames. You don’t want to run downstairs to the kitchen while the fire slowly spreads throughout the house.

Exit Points

It’s common to place extinguishers near exit points. Having them mounted near doors and fire escapes ensures everyone knows where they are. While this is common practice in businesses, it’s something that homeowners should get accustomed to as well. Guests at your house won’t know where fire safety products are kept, so it’s essential to keep them at eye level so that someone can quickly grab them.

Every Level

Multi-level buildings and houses should have one per level. For example, a standard two-story house with a finished basement and attic should have at least four fire extinguishers. That means you’ll have one on each level. You don’t need multiple extinguishers on every level unless you cannot get to them quickly in an emergency. For example, if you have a 4,000-square-foot first floor, it’s a good idea to have more than one so they are easily accessible.

Besides these tips, consider getting one for each building. Put one in the garage and another in the she-shed. We specialize in fire safety, including alarms and fire extinguisher services. Contact us for more information today.