Fire Extinguishers: A Way To Save On Homeowners Insurance

Fire Extinguishers At Home Are Both Safe & Reduce Insurance Costs

By Meha Ahmad, InsuranceAgents.com Staff Writer

Fire extinguishers are an ideal way to put out a fire in your home and also douse the flames of rising homeowners insurance prices. Homeowners are always looking for ways to save money on their homeowners insurance costs. Because home fires are the most common source of homeowners insurance claims, making efforts to fireproof your home is a surefire way to reduce your homeowners insurance quotes.

Another quick way to achieve savings is to simply compare home insurance quotes and find instant savings.  You can compare quotes free, use our quick form.

Fireproofing your home starts with placing a fire extinguisher in your home. Having multiple fire extinguishers in your home will earn you a discount. The recommended amount of fire extinguishers is at least one fire extinguisher on every floor of your home. The safest plan is to have a small fire extinguisher in every room. Think about it: If a fire breaks out in one room, running down the hall or even to another floor for a fire extinguisher risks the fire dangerously spreading.

Like fire extinguishers, living near a fire hydrant and/or fire station can also reduce your premium.

While a fire extinguisher in your home can keep a small kitchen fire from turning your home into a blazing inferno, fire extinguishers are not enough. They can earn you a discount, but a homeowner will have to do more than simply buy a few fire extinguishers to keep their home safe from the massive destruction a home fire can cause.

Other Ways To Fireproof Your Home

Fire extinguishers are a must-have, but there are other ways to fire-proof your home, practice safety and reduce your homeowners insurance costs.

1. Regularly check your smoke detectors are working and change the batteries.
2. Avoid clutter, like stacks of books, loose paper, boxes, etc., so fire can’t easily catch on it and spread faster.
3. Clear away trees, firewood and propane tanks (whether they’re in the shed or garage) because these materials can add fuel to the fire.
4. Don’t overload electrical sockets.
5. Update your home’s heating and/or wiring systems. Outdated systems are bigger risks for home fires than newer, up-to-code ones, and may need replacing. 
6. Have a professional check and update your heating appliances (stove/oven, dryer, furnace)—a major source of home fires.
7. Clean out your fireplace and chimney annually.
8. Never smoke in the house. It may be too easy to smoke while watching TV in bed, but more than a few home fires have been caused by a lit cigarette.

It’s also important to go over the details of your homeowners insurance policy and find out what it covers in case a home fire gets out of hand. Go over the policy with your homeowners insurance agent and find out other ways to reduce your homeowners insurance premium through fire safety, like purchasing fire extinguishers. For other ways to save, shop and compare several homeowners insurance quotes.

Published: Thursday 1st October 2009