October Is Fire Safety Month: Home Fire Prevention Tips | DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog

Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, founding member and senior trial attorney.

Each year during the month of October, attention focuses on fire safety and prevention. This issue deserves year-round attention. Protect your family by addressing potential fire hazards throughout your home routinely and utilize preventive measures to avoid fires. Taking steps to fireproof your home can go a long way in protecting your property and, most especially, saving your family.

The following listing includes the most frequent causes of bedroom fires:

• Misuse or poor maintenance of electrical devices
• Careless candle use
• Smoking in bed
• Children playing with matches or lighters

All of the above fire hazards are easily addressed by planning ahead and using common sense. In addition, pay attention to this simple fire safety checklist reproduced from About.com:

• “Install and maintain a working smoke alarm outside of every sleep area and remember to change the battery at least once a year.
• Designate two escape routes from each bedroom and practice them regularly.
• Teach everyone the ‘Stop, Drop, and Roll’ technique in case clothing catches on fire.
• Avoid storing old mattresses in the home or garage.
• Teach kids that matches, lighters and candles are tools, not toys. If you suspect that a child is playing with fire, check under beds and in closets for telltale signs like burned matches. Matches and lighters should be stored in a secure drawer or cabinet.”

According to the U.S. Fire Administration division of FEMA, over 75% of all fire fatalities occur in homes. Don’t become the next statistic. Please be safe.

About the author:

Mr. Zambri is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Attorney and Past-President of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. The association has recently named him the ” 2011 Trial Lawyer of the Year“. He has also been acknowledged by Washingtonian magazine as a “Big Gun” and among the “top 1%” of all of the more than 80,000 lawyers in the Washington metropolitan area. The magazine also acknowledged him as “one of Washington’s best–most honest and effective lawyers” who specializes in medical malpractice matters, product liability claims, and serious automobile accident claims. Mr. Zambri was recently (2011 edition) acknowledged as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” by Best Lawyers, and has also been repeatedly named a“Super Lawyer” by Law and Politics magazine (2011)–a national publication that honors the top lawyers in the country.

Mr. Zambri is regularly asked to present seminars to lawyers and doctors, as well as both medical and law students concerning defective products, medication errors, medical malpractice litigation, and safety improvements.

If you have any questions about your legal rights, please email Mr. Zambri at [email protected]. You may also reach him at 202-822-1899.