Of all the ways to protect your home, exercising fire safety is arguably one of the most important. Whether you live alone or in a full house, here are three great ways to make fire safety a household practice.

Learn About Prevention

An ounce of prevention goes a long way — if you’re looking for the best fire protection new york has to offer, start by learning how and why fires happen. According to the National Fire Prevention Agency (NFPA), cooking is the number one cause of house fires, followed closely by heating equipment malfunctions and faulty electrical wiring. Take some time to educate everyone at home about basic cooking safety, and make sure any heaters or radiators in your home are safe and up to code. If you’re worried about electrical fires, speak to your local electrician to have your home inspected.

Get Familiar With Extinguishing

If a fire does break out, you should have an extinguisher close by to put it out right away. It’s recommended that you have one extinguisher for each floor of your home, including the attic or basement. One of these extinguishers should absolutely be kept in the kitchen, preferably mounted somewhere that’s visible and easy to access. Everyone in the home should also know how to operate a fire extinguisher. The most common method is PASS: pull, aim, squeeze and sweep. Not all models are the same, so read the instructions on your fire extinguisher ahead of time.

Have an Escape Route

If there’s simply no way to mitigate a fire in your home, your immediate focus should be on evacuating everyone. You should have a fire escape route mapped out — it should follow the most direct path from your general location to the nearest exit. Have a route planned for every floor of the building, as well as any rooms that are especially distant from an exterior door. For anyone on the first floor or with access to a fire escape or ladder, windows are feasible exit points as well. Make a point to walk these escape routes at least once a month to keep them fresh in everyone’s minds.

House fires are extremely serious, so it’s best to have a fire safety plan in place now. If there are young children in your household, this is an excellent time to start familiarizing them on how to prevent and stay safe in the event of a fire.