The last thing many of expect is to have a fire happen within our home.  The odds are against it.  Think about it.  Out of all of the people that you encounter have any of them experienced the loss associated with a fire in the home?  We were shocked when we woke up to see our neighbors home in flames.  Fire fighters were crawling all about the roof to punch holes for the water hoses.  It was a scene out of a movie.

The most important thing as neighbors was helping in them through the fire restoration process.  Fire remediation is time consuming and requires effort on the part of the home owner.  The pain of this process can be minimized with preparation.  Yes, it is important to think that a fire could happen and be prepared for the disaster it leaves in his path.  The same is true for storm damage, water damage and catastrophes of all kinds.  Preparation can limit the loss.

The absolute most important thing in your home above and beyond any personal possession is the life of family members.  It is important the plan of attack is in place for them to maneuver safely out of the blaze and into a place of safety.  Make sure all your family is on board and are aware of a special meeting spot.  This way when help arrives you are all either accounted for or the location of the missing person can be narrowed down to a certain location within the home for firefighters to focus on their retrieval.

Pets, photos and any and all contents in the home can be replaced and are not worth the safety of any member of the family.  I know many people think of pets as family members and will risk their lives to save them.  This should never be attempted.  The life of a family member and what they bring to your family is much greater than that of a pet.  It is not worth risking human life.

Families should own a fire proof safe.  In it they should keep copies of any important hard to replace documents such as mortgage info, birth certificates and an inventory of the homes contents.  The inventory of the contents of your home and garage will be valuable in replacement through the insurance company.

In the digital age many of us store photos in albums and on computers both which can become damaged in a fire. It is best to upload photos to a digital store so that they are stored forever on an external source and found via an internet site.  Albums are of course not replaceable.  This is one of the hard parts about fire loss.  Memories are destroyed.  Lessen the loss by sending hard copies of photos to loved ones throughout the year in hopes that if needed they are there for you if disaster strikes.

Invest in quality smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers.  These items are all used to ensure minimal damage to your home.  If a fire is caught before it begins to spread it is likely that firefighters can extinguish the fire and prevent fire damage throughout the entire home.

Fire damage can devastate a family.  It will take time to regroup and get back on your feet.  Taking precautions upfront to minimize the distress your family would feel after a fire is helpful and needed for any disaster.  Fire, storms, floods and other forces can cause a need for any of the above.  Taking a bit of caution today will save a lot of time, energy and priceless memories.