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Part 1: The Risk of Having a Fire in Your Home

Your risk score is XX. Please read below to interpret your score:
51-80: Your household fire risk is too high. You can reduce your risk with any or all of the following: a no-smoking policy in your home; modernizing the home and its contents; and installing an automatic fire sprinkler system.
21-50: The fire risk in your home is about average. Some of the risk is inherent in the daily tasks of living in a combustible environment. You can lower your risk if fire safe practices are followed and the home and its contents are modernized.
20 or below: Congratulations, you are living in a relatively low-risk fire environment. There is no cause for complacency, however, because safety depends on continual awareness of the threat of fire.

These reduce your risk of a fire in your home:

These increase your risk of a fire in your home:

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This auto and home insurance program is underwritten by Hartford Fire Insurance Company and its affiliates, One Hartford Plaza, Hartford, CT 06155. CA License #5152. In Washington, the auto program is underwritten by Hartford Insurance Company of the Midwest, and the home program is underwritten by Hartford Fire Insurance Company. In Michigan, the auto and home programs are underwritten by Hartford Underwriters Insurance Company. The homeowners product is not available in all areas, including the state of Florida. Specific features, credits, and discounts may vary and may not be available in all states in accordance with state filings and applicable law. Applicants are individually underwritten and some may not qualify.

In Texas, the auto program is underwritten by Southern County Mutual Insurance Company through Hartford Underwriters General Agency. Hartford Fire Insurance Company and its affiliates are not financially responsible for insurance products underwritten and issued by Southern County Mutual Insurance Company. In Texas, the home program is underwritten Hartford Fire Insurance Company.

Most cooking fires are caused by people's behavior, not appliance failures. A majority of these fires happen when people leave food cooking unattended on the stovetop. Other common mistakes include leaving burners or ovens on after cooking, leaving combustibles such as potholders too close to heat sources, and wearing loose-fitting sleeves near burners.
Unattended cooking is involved in almost two-thirds of reported cooking fires. The best way to prevent these fires is to closely supervise your cooking. Take extra care when frying or deep frying food or when cooking with oils, butter or other grease products, and clean up food spills or accumulated grease that could catch fire.
Candles have become increasingly popular, whether to create atmosphere, to release fragrance, or to keep insects away. In recent years, the number of home fires caused by candles has tripled. Nearly 40% of candle fires started because candles were unattended or used improperly. If you use candles, set them up safely and extinguish them when you leave the room, even if only for a few minutes.
Supplemental heating sources add warmth to a home, but they also add considerable fire risk. Most home heating fires are caused by failure to clean wood-burning devices, lack of proper clearance around space heaters, improper heater refueling, or simple human error.
Fireplaces lend beauty and atmosphere, but their use also increases your fire risk. Use a fire screen or fireplace doors to contain sparks, and keep combustibles at least three feet away. Keep your fireplace clean, using appropriate tools and containers for the ashes and coals. Hire a professional to inspect the chimney annually and clean it as needed.
Certain warning signs may indicate electrical problems that could cause a fire, regardless of the age of your home. Contact a licensed electrician if you notice flickering or dimming lights; switches or outlets that are hot to the touch or emit an acrid odor; discolored cords, outlets, and switchplates; or repeated blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers.
Consult a qualified, licensed electrician to evaluate your home's electrical system or to assist you when you purchase, repair, or remodel a home. Even in newer homes, increased demand from multiple appliances may strain the electrical system and increase your fire risk. A licensed electrician can help you reduce electrical fire risks in your home.
Since the 1970s, upholstered furniture fires have declined in part because of evolutionary changes in the materials used to make upholstered furniture. Nevertheless, upholstered seating may be one of the most dangerous items in the home because it contains foams and fillers that if ignited, burn rapidly, release tremendous heat, and produce toxic gases. Most fatal home fires involve the ignition of upholstered furniture. Be particularly careful when smoking around upholstered furniture. Keep portable heat sources at least three feet away.
Bedding fires caused by cigarettes have declined significantly over the last several years, in part because the Federal Mattress Flammability Standard mandates that mattresses be made from safer materials. However, there has also been a marked increase in bedding fires caused by small open flames such as candles, matches and lighters. In fact, most candle fires start in bedrooms. Don't smoke in bed, and keep open flames such as candles, matches and lighters away from all beds.
Smoking is one fire risk over which you have complete control. Careless abandonment or disposal of lighted tobacco products is a leading cause of home fires. Not only that, more people die in fires started by smoking materials than in any other type of fire. And in homes where people smoke, there's a greater chance that matches or lighters might be left where children could play with them, further increasing the risk of a fire.
When shopping for upholstered furniture, choose products that are designed to be more fire resistant. Look for furniture made under the Upholstered Furniture Action Council (UFAC) program, or furnishings that meet the requirements of California Bureau of Home Furnishings (CAL 117). Furniture that complies with any one of these standards will still burn, but it will burn more slowly and release less toxic smoke, giving you more time to escape.
Home sprinkler systems provide significant protection for your family and property. They are designed so that only the sprinkler closest to the fire will activate, spraying water directly on the fire. Ninety percent of fires are contained by the operation of just one sprinkler. If you are building or renovating a home, consider installing sprinklers, even if only in a high-risk area such as the kitchen.
Working smoke alarms save lives. When properly installed and maintained, smoke alarms can alert you and your family to developing fires, giving you more time to escape. One-half of all home fire deaths occur in the 6% of homes that do not have smoke alarms.
Nighttime fires are particularly dangerous. More than half of all home fire deaths occur between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., when most people are sleeping and more likely to be overcome by smoke before they can escape. A smoke alarm near each sleeping area can alert people to a developing fire, giving them more time to get out safely.
Smoke alarms can save lives only if they are properly installed and maintained. When smoke alarms don't work, it is usually because the batteries are dead, disconnected or missing. Be vigilant about testing alarms monthly, replacing the batteries annually, and buying new smoke alarms every 10 years. Keep batteries in smoke alarms; never remove them except to replace them with fresh batteries.
Working smoke alarms can alert you and your family to danger before the smoke and heat of a fire can harm you. Whenever there are changes to your household (e.g., a family member begins using a medication that causes drowsiness, an aging parent with hearing impairment moves in) evaluate the number and types of alarms in your home. If needed, install additional alarms or use models with flashing lights or vibrations to be sure everyone will be alerted in the event of a fire.
Under the best of conditions, you and your family have only a few precious minutes to safely evacuate should a fire occur in your home. Escaping a fire is more difficult and takes more time if you must help someone else.
Anyone who would have difficulty escaping a fire should sleep on the first floor in a room that has a door leading directly to the outside. It's a good idea to install a telephone in this sleeping area and make sure it is within easy reach, with the local emergency phone numbers posted nearby.
If a fire occurs in your home, be prepared for the unexpected. Heat and smoke from a first floor fire can make stairs to other floors impassable. You may not be able to get back through the house once you start to flee the fire, and you may not be able to use your usual doors. Regardless of your home's floor plan, be sure you have planned two escape routes from each room, and practice your plan.
A small fire can grow large and deadly in minutes. When a fire breaks out, there is no time for planning. You must be prepared to move quickly, calmly and carefully. Making, practicing and following an escape plan will help you and your family know what to do so you can get out quickly. Plan two ways to exit every room, and establish a meeting place outside. Be sure the plan considers the functional abilities of everyone in your home. And revise your escape plan when a family member has a change in health, or when there is a temporary or permanent change to your household, such as a visiting grandchild.
A fire escape plan is not effective unless everyone understands the details. Put the plan in writing to share with everyone — including visitors. Draw a floor plan; mark primary and alternate escape routes from each room, and show the meeting location outside your home. Post the floor plan in several locations where everyone can see it.
Everyone in your household should participate in fire drills at least twice a year, or whenever there are changes to your household. Practice the plan at night, too, since most fatal home fires start while people are asleep. Vary your drills from time to time by pretending that some escape routes are blocked.
More people die in fires started by smoking materials than in any other type of fire. These fires are particularly dangerous because some of the materials most commonly ignited are mattresses or bedding, upholstered furniture and clothing. If anyone smokes in your home, always check for discarded smoking materials or dropped ashes, especially in or near furniture, bedding and other furnishings.
Young children are at grave risk of injury and death from home fires because they have less control of their environment than adults and limited ability to react appropriately. Preparation and education are key elements in preventing fire tragedies among children of all ages.
Fire can harm all of us; however, older adults are affected most by its power. Disease-related conditions, which are more prevalent in later life, are the primary causes of some functional limitations that would put an older person at greater risk in a fire — namely, limitations in vision, hearing, mobility or judgement. These impairments may hinder a person's ability to detect a fire or escape its effects.