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When you scheduled your garage door installation—for either your home or business—was fire prevention and safety a top concern? Probably not. Many homeowners and business owners do their duty when it comes to installing smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and practicing general fire safety in their home or place of business. However, it’s easy to get a little “loose” with precautions in the garage. After all, what are the odds of a fire happening there? A lot higher than you think. Recently, a garage fire in Beloit, Wisconsin caused $30,000 in damages and a garage fire in Beaverton, Oregon spread to “multiple town homes” before firefighters got the flames under control. Not only are garages the perfect breeding ground for a potential fire, the flames can be more dangerous and grow unnoticed for much longer than higher traffic areas. Keep these facts in mind the next time you overlook garage security: 1. Most garages don’t have a fire alarm You wouldn’t dream of going without a fire alarm in your home or business—why take the same risk with your garage? This is especially troubling if the garage is attached to your property. By the time the flames have found their way indoors, there might not be time to safely escape. Add both a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm to your garage (you can even call it one of your New Year’s resolutions). 2. There are plenty of explosives in garages From extra gasoline for the lawnmower to a plethora of combustibles, garages are often a catch-all for storage. If your garage is a commercial one and you keep flammable items in there, that’s even worse. From those old Fourth of July fireworks you forgot about to chemicals that are easy to ignite, garages are often veritable kindling treasure troves. 3. They’re easy to hide Maybe you’re not home and a fire starts in the garage. Unlike other types of home fires, passersby might not notice the escaping smoke. This is especially true if you try to keep opportunist burglars from peeping inside and have no windows in your garage. In fact, by the time anybody notices signs of a fire, it might be too late to save the property. 4. You have a lot of precious belongings in there Beyond safety, garages are popular spots to store precious possessions, keepsakes and heirlooms. Even if the fire is caught in time, there’s no replacing those photo albums you had stacked on the shelves. This is yet another reason to add fire alarms to your garage. Make sure the alarms are also linked to your local police station or fire house in case you’re not home. Unfortunately, the garage is an overlooked part of a home or business that often doesn’t get the maintenance it needs. In addition to protecting against fires, make sure a bi-annual inspection is scheduled each autumn and spring. Ensuring the tracks, springs, rollers and sensors are in good shape is crucial. A garage door is the biggest entry point to your home, so keep it in good shape. From fires to theft, garage doors are up against a lot. Make sure yours has the TLC necessary to do its job.
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