Strengthen Fire Safety in Your Manufactured Home

Fire safety should be a paramount concern for every homeowner, seeing as how it is essential to safeguarding your largest investment, to saying nothing of your life and those of your loved ones. Everyone, no matter where they live, should take whatever steps necessary to ensure their residence remains safe from the ever-lurking threat of fire.

That mindset is even more important for owners of manufactured homes, given that such units tend to be located in close proximity to each other and situated in rural communities distant from effective firefighting services. Fortunately, there are a few simple steps owners of manufactured homes can take to protect their property, their families and themselves.

Find a HUD Home: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has long-standing regulations in place to enhance the overall safety – including fire safety – of manufactured homes. If you are in the market for a unit, look for one built after 1976 that bears the HUD label certifying compliance with federal government standards.

Check Your Smoke Alarms: The proliferation of smoke alarms over the past six decades has substantially reduced the loss of life in household fires, which is why it is imperative to keep yours in tip-top condition. Make sure to dust and test your smoke alarm once a month and choose a time-change day – either “spring forward” or “fall back” – each year for replacing the batteries. Also make sure you have enough smoke alarms – older manufactured homes often do not have one in or near every bedroom.

The Great Escape: Knowing a fire might occur, it’s smart to develop a household escape plan. The plan should include identifying alternate exists in every room, making sure no doors or windows are obstructed or stuck, and double-checking to determine that locks are easy to operate. Once the plan is in place, hold fire drills twice a year to ensure everyone knows what to do and where to go if that smoke alarm does sound in the middle of the night.

Electrical Danger: As essential as it is to our quality of life, electricity also poses a grave fire hazard, so it is always best to play it safe. Contact a licensed electrician if you notice flickering lights, frequent blown circuits or a “hot” smell when using electricity. Use extension cords only as a temporary convenience, not a permanent solution. Also avoid overloading electrical outlets and never run cords under carpets where they can be damaged by foot traffic, overheat and ignite.

What’s Cooking?: Authorities report that unattended cooking is the leading cause of fires in American homes. The solution lies in exercising caution regarding every aspect of food preparation. Adults should supervise older children who cook, and never walk out of the kitchen when there is anything on the stove. Keep cooking surfaces clean and make sure to move anything combustible far away from the stove.

Hello, Walls: All post-HUD manufactured homes utilize wall linings that retard the rapid spread of flames. This has dramatically reduced the impact of fires in manufactured homes but there are plenty of steps today’s homeowners can take to further enhance their safety. Topping the list? Do not mount anything on the walls – such as paneling, drapery or hangings – in the vicinity of major heat sources.

At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.