SERVPRO of Beckley wishes you a disaster-free December.

Did you know half of all house fires start in the kitchen? SERVPRO^® of Beckley reminds Mullens and area: check your smoke detector batteries regularly. We can help restore areas damaged by smoke or fire. We are Here to Help.

Call SERVPRO of Beckley at 304-253-6633

In December, kitchen fires are even more common than at other times of the year (the peak, however, is Thanksgiving).

If fire does hit your home, call us soon as you can. We’ll assemble a team, and we will:

• Assess the damage, and provide the results to you in writing
• Follow the air currents to ensure we find all smoke and soot damage
• Remediate any existing damage
• Prevent further damage (smoke and soot are corrosive)
• If there is a risk of microbial growth, we will check for that, and mitigate if it is present
• Clean and disinfect
• Restore whatever parts of the home (including belongings) can be restored
• Remove odors

For more details, see our website.

Working Smoke Detectors Save Lives

Whether we have company, take-out, or are having virtual guests this year, December is usually a busy time for cooks and bakers.

Even at calmer times of the year, kitchens are dangerous places. People and heat: great combination, right?

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends:

• Smoke detector nearby, but not directly over stove or oven
• Direct smoke away from detectors with a fan
• Never remove batteries from detectors or the smoke detectors themselves
• Check smoke detectors regularly
• Replace batteries twice a year OR
• Use detectors with 10-year batteries
• Buy all smoke detectors from the same maker in the same year – easier to link together
• Link detectors to each other and to a central system that alerts an emergency system
• Keep fire extinguishers nearby

If there’s an emergency, we’re available – always.

• Late at night
• Early in the morning
• Holidays
• Weekends
• During football games
• When it is snowing
• When it isn’t snowing

Activity: Fake Fire for Real Children

Keep the kids and the kidlets (the older children are “kids”, and the younger ones are “kidlets”) busy. Depending on the age ranges, you figure out which children do what tasks.

1. Cut out orange, yellow, and red paper to look like fireplace flames
2. Pretend to toast marshmallows
3. Make hot chocolate (just use the powdered stuff; if it’s sugary; they won’t care)
4. Dunk the marshmallows in the hot chocolate
5. Sit around the fire and drink their hot chocolate
6. Don’t bother their parents

SERVPRO of Beckley

Have a great rest of December!

We’re starting the count down to 2021!