Window Safety Tips

Window Safety Tips ~ Home Safety Tips

How often should family fire drills be held?

What type of glass should you have in windows to help prevent noise penetration and discourage intruders?

Window Safety Tips:

1. Practice safety drills regularly. Small children tend to “hide” from fire, so make sure children are familiar with escape routes and know how to move quickly out of the home.
2. For homes with bedrooms on second floors or higher, make sure safety escape chain ladders are under the bed in every room. Practice operating the window with older children and show them how to use chain ladders.
3. If a door is not safe to exit through during a fire, exit through an open window or use an escape ladder. Do not break the glass of the window, because it could cause injury.
4. If you live in a neighborhood with lots of active children, or one that is prone to crime, install windows with laminated glass — at least for the first floor of the home. In these units, two panes of glass are adhered to a durable plastic interlayer, much like a car windshield. So, if a stray baseball hits a window, the glass will shatter, but broken pieces remain adhered to the interlayer, preventing glass fallout inside the home. The plastic interlayer is also puncture-resistant, frustrating potential intruders.
5. Remember that window screens are only designed only to keep insects outside — they will not support the weight of a child or family pet.
6. Looking to protect your home from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays? Request Low E glass in your windows to help reduce the fading of carpet, furniture and window treatments.
7. When windows are opened for ventilation, only open what young children cannot reach, such as the top portion of a Simonton Double Hung window.
8. Keep furniture (including cribs), or anything children can climb, away from windows.
9. Before ordering windows for your home, make sure to examine the unit’s locking system. Multi-point locks provide more protection against intruders and make it more difficult for curious young children to operate.
10. If you need to use window guards on the interior of your windows, make sure they are operable and can be easily removed. Practice detaching the guards with children in case they need to exit through a window in an emergency.