House fires, not something I want to think about, but they are a real possibility. The National Fire Protection Association reports that there are as many as 400,000 house fires every year in the United States. It isn’t something we should ignore. With our most valued possessions at risk, the old adage, prepare for the worst and hope for the best, is a good approach. That means, take precautions to prevent the most common causes of house fires, and consider a home safe to protect key valuables as your last line of defense, just in case.

A recent National Fire Protection Association report indicates the most common causes of house fires. Below is that list and suggested precautions.

Cooking. The #1 cause of house fires, accounting for 42% of reported incidents, is cooking. Open flames from the stove and intense heat in the oven easily result in a fire when unsupervised. Most often food or cooking tools catch fire and quickly lose control. While giving up cooking all together may be a bit extreme, paying extra attention and never leaving the kitchen while preparing food is an easy way to reduce this risk.

Christmas Trees. Every winter families all around the world bring large trees into their home to celebrate a beloved holiday. However, Christmas trees can easily become a significant hazard. Dry tress combined with strings of lights quickly turn into fire sticks. Before placing the tree in your home cut off an inch or so from the bottom of the trunk, removing any dead wood that would prevent the tree from soaking up water. Be vigilant about watering your tree, keep it hydrated! Also be sure to turn off Christmas lights when you go to sleep at night. Or, avoid the risk altogether by getting an artificial tree!
Smoking. Smoking is the source of many of house fires leading to almost 1,000 deaths a year. Lit cigarettes accidentally dropped on any number of household items can quickly become large fires. Only smoking outside will reduce this risk significantly.

Candles. An estimated 18,000 house fires are caused by candles each year. Most of the incidences are due to negligence. Leaving a lit candle unattended can quickly lead to a fire. Numerous flammable materials in the vicinity of a candle can easily catch fire. Reduce this risk by trimming the wick of your candle to help limit the size of the flame, or use battery operated candles.

Appliances, Heaters, Children Playing with Fire. Other common causes of home fires include over use of appliances, home heating, and children playing with fire. Faulty or over-used appliances can easily cause a fire with just a few sparks. Heating systems, especially space heaters and wood stoves, can ignite household items nearby. The curiosity of young children can also lead to threatening fires. Playing with matches, lighters, and candles led to 56,300 fires between 2005 and 2009. Keeping these items out of the reach of children and educating them about the importance of fire safety can help reduce this risk. In the event that a house fire does occur a home safe, in particular a fire safe for the home, will keep important documents and precious valuable safe while you focus on getting your family to safety.

While we can’t eliminate all potential causes of house fires there are some basics that are well worth keeping in mind. Take these precautions and consider purchasing one of the many home safes to protect your most important valuables. Safes for the home are an excellent barrier for items of both monetary and sentimental value.

Whether your jewels have monetary or sentimental value, they are treasures that you want to have forever. The best way to ensure this is to lock them up in a luxury jewelry safe. Overstuffed drawers, multiple hiding places, and unorganized pouches can easily lead to missing rings, tangled necklaces, and earrings without their match. Typical hiding places around the home do little to protect your gems, and bank security boxes leave them out of your reach when you are dressing. Safes for jewelry are a much better solution. Here are a few tips for keeping your pieces organized and easily accessible to only you.

• Customize your set-up. Think through how you choose your jewelry when getting dressed. Do you prefer to have sets of items together or organized by category or color? Should casual everyday jewelry be kept more accessible than pricier pieces? You may decide the right solution is to keep your casual every day items in a conveniently located wall safe and choose from one of the better quality jewelry safes to secure the high value items.
• Location, location, location. Where do you have enough space to hold your gems? Do you have enough dresser top space to showcase a jewelry box, a dresser drawer for dividers, or eye-level closet space? These places might be convenient but now take security into consideration – jewelry safes can fit in many convenient locations as well. Keep in mind how much light you will require to fully take stalk of your collection and match your jewelry to your outfit. Safes for jewelry can be configured with lighting. Also consider how once you have chosen the location and conceptualized the best way to organize your collection, you can purchase containers that fit your personal preferences. Consider a home safe that includes a jewelry chest inside.
• Eliminate worry. Losing track of your grandmother’s pearls or the pendant your mother-in-law gave you can cause unending headaches. You can cure that pit in your stomach by investing in various degrees of protection.
• To avoid losing rings in the bottom of your purse keep a small velvet pouch in your handbag so you can safely stow your items if you have to take them off mid-day. Also, place a small ring saucer by your bathroom sink for when you wash your hands.
• When traveling, transport your jewelry in a protective pouch or case and lock it up in the hotel room safe if possible. Hint: Wrap necklaces and chains around small pieces of rolled up paper towel to prevent tangling.
• If you have only a few precious pieces you can purchase a small jewelry safe and bolt it down to a shelf in your closet. This can be a relatively inexpensive option and will deter the average burglar or nosey construction worker.
• For your more expensive pieces of jewelry we recommend keeping a file of appraisals and receipts. Put these items along with their appraisals in a high quality burglar and fire home safe.
• Finally, think about splurging on a luxury jewelry safe. Instead of having to run to your bank deposit-box every time you want to wear your nice jewelry, keep them in an equally secure safe in the convenience of your own home. Maximum Security’s high quality luxury jewelry safes provide a solution to all of your jewelry nightmares. A secure fire proof safe will not only protect your jewelry from jealous hands but will also hold a luxurious chest to serve as an equally beautiful home for them.

For more information about keeping your jewelry safe visit Maximum Security Safes on the web or at our Southern California location.

Fall is known as fire season in Southern California. The vegetation is dry from the hot days of summer and the Santa Ana winds begin to blow. As a SoCal native I remember well as a child looking out our back window and seeing flames moving our way. While Southern California is known for wildfires, they can happen just about anywhere. It is time to take steps to protect your home and valuables against wildfire. At Maximum Security Safes we can help you in this effort with a safe for the home, but there are many other important protective steps to take as well.

• Family Disaster Plan. Create a plan that includes meeting locations and systems of communication. Review the plan with family members regularly. Keep a copy of the plan handy and a back up in your home safe. Most if not all of the items below should be covered in the plan.
• Fire Extinguishers. Have them on hand and be sure your family knows where there are and how to use them.
• Emergency Contact Phone Numbers. Keep a list of emergency contact numbers posted near the phone or somewhere convenient and safe.
• Shut-off Controls. Ensure that your family knows where your gas, electric, and water main shut-off controls are and how to use them.
• Escape Routes. Identify safe escape routes from each room in the house.
• Home Emergency Supply Kit. Assemble a kit that can be easily taken with you.
• Car Emergency Supply Kit. Keep an extra emergency supply kit in your car in case you can’t get into your home.
• Meeting Location. Designate an emergency meeting location outside of the immediate area that all your family members know is the place to gather.
• Out-of-Area Contact. Identify a friend or relative that lives outside the area through whom you can communicate with family members.
• Portable Radio. Have a portable radio handy so you can stay updated on the fire.
• Home Safe. Keep critical documents and valuables in a fire resistive home safe so if the worst happens they will be protected.

Fires happen, so let’s be prepared. For more information contact the Orange County Fire Authority and their Ready, Set, Go program.

We at Maximum Security would be happy to consult with you about what kind of safe for the home would be best for your needs. Most of our customers find that a safe with both burglar and fire protection is a great solution to their security needs. Call us today and take the first step in preparing for fire season.