Stop, Drop and Roll!

Stop, Drop and Roll ...

I distinctly remember being in the third grade and thinking how funny it sounded to say those words. Now that I am a mother of two I hear my kids and their friends making fun of that same saying. The unfortunate thing is that it is not funny. It is very serious and when you are selling your home you will need to be sure your house meets current and local fire codes in the town which you reside. 

To go about this you will need to contact your local and make an appointment for them to come to the house to do a fire inspection.  The cost is usually $50.

Here is what they will be looking for:

1. Smoke detectors on each floor and usually by the base of any stairway. Yes they must be operable. The fire person will use a spray can to simulate smoke and be sure they go off.
2. If your house has hard wired detectors, now required by code, all detectors will need to speak to each other. Therefore, if one senses smoke they must all sound off. If your house was built without hard wired detectors you do not need to upgrade, however you cannot update one and have the rest be battery operated.
3. There is a difference between photoelectric and Ion detectors. Check with your local fire officials to see what your town requires BEFORE they come make that visit.
4. Carbon monoxide detectors are now required on every living level of a home. In the upstairs they must be within 10 feet of all bedroom doors. Plug ins are acceptable and in some cases if you have a long hallway you may need two or more. Home Depot is your best bet.
5. Lastly, if you own a multi family home the requirements are usually more stringent. Again check with your local officials to see what you will need to do to comply. In some cases it is costly and you may want to know what will be needed prior to listing your property for sale.

Once the local fire officials have determined that your house is in compliance they will issue a certificate which in most towns is good for 30 days. Don’t wait until the last minute to make the appointment. If you don’t pass the first time, you will need for them to come back and you can’t close without it.

With long summer weekends upon us, keep those BBQ grills away from the house. You don’t want to ever really have to Stop, Drop and Roll!

written by Heidi Zizza Realtor mdm realty www.metrowesthomesandlife.com