Local Allstate Agent Offers Spring Safety Tips

Throughout the Midwest, residents are ready for a new season! Soon, we will enjoy the first sign of spring – time to spring the clock forward in accordance with Daylight Savings Time. Allstate Insurance Company also encourages homeowners to treat the event as a critical reminder for checking and replacing the batteries in your home’s smoke detectors.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, direct property loss due to fires was an estimated $14.6 billion nationwide in 2007, and fires killed more Americans than all natural disasters combined.

“A smoke detector can only save lives if it has working batteries,” said says Allstate agent Andrew J. McCabe. “Families, including small children, should know what the smoke detector sounds like and what to do if they hear it.”

Allstate offers some fire safety basics to discuss and practice at home with all family members:

• Check the batteries in your smoke detectors often. Keep extra batteries on hand and replace them every six months.
• Check your smoke detectors monthly. Replace any that are 10 years or older. Make sure everyone knows that the piercing sound means danger, and they should escape quickly.
• Position detectors smartly. Place one on every level of your home and near areas where you and your family sleep.
• Keep fire extinguishers handy. Make sure there’s at least one on each floor – especially near the kitchen, garage, laundry room and workshop.
• Teach children that they should never hide in closets or under beds when there is a fire. Tell them firefighters may look scary when they’re wearing their protective gear, but they are there to save you.
• Talk with your family and make sure everyone knows what to do in case a fire breaks out. Make sure you have two ways out of your house. Create a fire safety plan, with a designated meeting place.
• Inventory your home. Take the time to complete an inventory record of your personal property. In addition to completing an inventory record, take photos or videotape your items. It will make it easier to replace an item if you have a photo of it. Hopefully it’s something you’ll never have to consult in the wake of a disaster, but having a readily accessible home inventory list can make the difference when taking the first steps toward recovery. Download Allstate's free home inventory software by visiting www.knowyourstuff.org/allstate/

For more information on fire safety or other safety topics, contact Allstate agent Andrew J. McCabe at 414-961-1166.