Fire and Emergency Safety: Modern homes and buildings incorporate the latest building codes and are designed to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other risks. While building safety professionals help maintain this system, there are things you can do at home to stay safe and help reduce the risk of fire.

9 Important Tips for Fire Safety and Emergency Awareness:

1. Put a smoke alarm on every level of your home, outside of each sleeping area, and inside of each sleeping room.

2. Install a carbon monoxide alarm in the hallway outside of each sleeping area and in any bedroom containing fuel burning appliances or fireplaces.

3. Make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms work by testing alarms regularly. Follow the alarm manufacturer's instructions for testing.

4. Make sure the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms have good batteries by replacing batteries at least every year. Permanently wired or plug-in alarms should still have a battery back-up.

5. Smoke alarms do not last forever. Replacement every 10 years is recommended, and newer smoke alarms often provide the 10-year replacement date.

6. Have an escape plan in case of a fire. Make sure everyone knows how to get out fast if the smoke alarm goes off. Pick a meeting place outside of the home and practice your escape plan with everyone twice a year.

7. Investigate installation and feasibility of fire sprinkler systems. Home fire sprinklers can work with smoke alarms to increase changes of surviving a fire event and could increase property values and lower insurance rates.

8. Avoid use of portable heaters but where they are needed, make sure to give them space. Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away.

9. Keep items that can easily burn away from your house. Regularly clean leaves out of your gutters and clear dead limbs, branches, and shrubs from you yard and roof areas.

6 Tips for Emergency Exit Planning:

1. Keep all hallways clear of obstructions.

2. Do not block or obstruct emergency escape windows and exit doors.

3. Make sure all members of the household know how to unlock and open windows and doors.

4. Be sure any window security bars can be released from the inside in case of an emergency.

5. Develop and practice an emergency escape plan with members of your household.

6. Identify access points for first responders to get in.

Home and Property Maintenance: Regardless of if you own your home or renting, keeping your home maintained is important to ensure you're living in a safe environment. Home maintenance encompasses a wide range of preventative tasks that all contribute to occupant health, occupant safety and security and overall sustainability.

10 Tips for Property Maintenance and Safety:

1. Check for warning signs of an unsafe deck, including loose or wobbly railings or support beams, missing or loose screws that connect a deck to the house, corrosion, rot and cracks.

2. Check for warning signs of an unsafe exterior stairwell or fire escape that is not regularly used including loose or wobbly railings or stair treads, missing or loose screws, corrosion, rust, rot and cracks.

3. Make sure to check the designated load capacity for electrical cords and power strips to avoid overloading.

4. Do not use appliances or machinery with damaged electrical cords.

5. Do not use extension cords as a substitute for permanently wired receptacle outlets.

6. Maintain the required pool barrier fence by ensuring self-closing and self-latching gates are functional.

7. Keep all chairs, tables, equipment and other large objects a minimum of 45 inches from the outside of a required pool barrier fence to prevent children from climbing over fences.

8. Keep throwing aids like poles and flotation devices on both sides of a pool that remain in place and are not used during play activities.

9. Place barbeque grills and heaters ways from siding, deck railings, overhanging roofs and branches.

10. When grilling or using fire pits, have a fire extinguisher, a garden hose, or several gallons of water close by in case of a fire.

8 Tips for Mold Prevention and Control:

1. Fix leaky plumbing and leaks in the building envelope as soon as possible.

2. Watch for condensation and water stains on walls, ceilings and floors.

3. Fix sources of moisture problems as soon as possible.

4. Improve air flow to decrease moisture by opening windows or adding a fan.

5. Vent moisture-generating appliances such as dryers, to the outside where possible.

6. Maintain low indoor humidity, below 60 percent relative humidity, ideally 30 to 50 percent.

7. Perform a regulation schedule of building/HVAC inspections and maintenance.

8. Provide drainage outside foundation walls and slope the ground away from the foundation to speed drying after rainfall events.

8 Tips for Winter Preparation:

1. Follow manufacturer's or installer's instructions for draining water from swimming pools and water sprinkler supply lines as cold temperatures approach. Do not put antifreeze in these lines unless directed by the manufacturer as antifreeze is environmentally harmful and is dangerous to humans, pets, wildlife and landscaping.

2. Remove, empty or drain and store exterior hoses.

3. Add installation to attics, basements and crawl spaces to manage temperatures.

4. Check water supply lines in unheated areas such as a garage, unfinished basement, inside of cabinets, etc. and add insulation around the pipes to help prevent freezing.

5. Consider relocating or insulating exposed pipes.

6. During freezing events, keep garage doors closed, open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors, and let the cold-water drip from a faucet served by exposed pipes to help prevent freezing.

7. If you will be away during cold weather, leave the heat set to a temperature no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sustainability: Every proactive step we take to make our homes more sustainable makes a big difference in decreasing our footprint and burden on the environment and infrastructure systems. The City recently adopted the updated 2021 Building Codes, which include increased provisions for sustainable features and designs. There are still many ways that property owners can update their existing buildings and systems to further sustainability goals.

10 Tips for Conserving Water at Home:

1. Don't flush trash down your toilet. One to three gallons of water are wasted every time you flush small items such as tissues or small bits of trash.

2. Check your toilets, faucets and pipes regularly for drips and leaks.

3. Install water-saving shower heads and low-flow faucet aerators.

4. Monitor water consumption using your water meter to detect hidden water leaks.

5. Insulate water pipes.

6. Take short showers. The recommended time is 5 minutes.

7. Don't leave the water running while brushing your teeth, shaving or doing dishes by hand.

8. Avoid running the dishwasher or washing machine for partial loads unless your appliance has a setting to reduce water use for small loads.

9. Sweep driveways, sidewalks, steps and patios to clean rather than using a garden hose.

10. Minimize water intensive landscaping and lawn areas by planting native plant species.

9 Tips for Preventing Stormwater Runoff Pollution:

1. Use lawn fertilizers sparingly and sweep up driveways, sidewalks and gutters to prevent debris from washing into drains.

2. Do not dump trash, debris or landscape trimmings down a drain or directly into a stream.

3. Compost yard waste. Composting is included in the City's trash and recycling contract.

4. Research pesticide and lawn care products to find the least toxic options and follow the manufacturer's directions for application.

5. Direct downspouts away from paved surfaces and consider installation of rain gardens and landscape features to capture water runoff.

6. Check your vehicles and lawn equipment for leaks and recycle motor oil.

7. Pick up after your pet and do not dump pet waste directly into a drain or storm system.

8. Follow the required stormwater pollution protection plans if completing construction projects with management practices required.

9. If lawn and yard projects are in process that require removal of vegetation or prolonged periods of mulch and dirt being exposed to elements, cover piles with tarps and install silt protection fencing to prevent mud and mulch from washing off of the property.

10 Tips for a More Energy Efficient Home:

1. Change the filters in the heating and cooling system of your home regularly. Heating and cooling uses more energy than any other system in the home, accounting for approximately 43% of a year’s total energy spending. Dirty filters overwork equipment which leads to early equipment failure. Replacing filters every 1–3 months saves up to $5 each month on utility bills and results in healthier indoor air.

2. Install a programmable thermostat to keep your home comfortably warm in the winter and comfortably cool in the summer. ENERGY STAR® estimates homeowners save, on average, $180 each year when programmable thermostats are properly installed and customized to your household’s schedule.

3. Use the orientation of your home to reduce heating and cooling needs. During warmer months, close curtains and shades on the sunny side of your home to help keep the inside temperature cooler and reduce the work of your air conditioner. Open shades during cooler months to allow the sun to warm your home.

4. Replace your light bulbs with LEDs. LEDs use up to 90% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.

5. Install lighting controls such as occupancy sensors and dimmers to save electricity. Occupancy sensors automatically turn lights off when not in use and can reduce wasted energy by roughly 30%. Dimmers can reduce energy use by about 20%. For additional savings, use natural light when possible.

6. Reduce the amount of air that leaks in and out of your home by caulking and weatherstripping to further reduce heating and cooling costs. The EPA estimates homeowners can save 15–20% on heating and cooling costs by air sealing their homes and adding insulation in attics, floors over crawl spaces and basements.

7. Turn off and unplug home electronics and other devices when not in use. Using a smart or advanced power strip to manage plug loads is an easy way to save money on your electric bills—the average household could save $100 or more annually by reducing the standby load for game consoles alone.

8. Choose energy efficient products—such as ENERGY STAR® certified products—when you buy or replace household appliances. Save additional energy by running your appliances at night and washing your clothes in cold water.

9. Learn to effectively use the fans in your home. Spot ventilation fans—including the exhaust fans in your bathroom, laundry room and kitchen—are effective at removing moisture and indoor air pollution. Leaving these fans running longer than necessary, however, can cost you money. Ceiling fans can also increase energy savings, but it’s important to turn ceiling fans off when leaving the room.

10. Insulate your water heater to reduce heat loss and improve efficiency. Installing an insulation blanket is a simple and inexpensive way to improve the efficiency of your water heater, especially when the water heater is older or located in an unconditioned space.