Fire Insurance for Your Home

Did you know fires account for $7 billion in property damage in the U.S. each year? To keep your home protected, you need to get fire insurance through a home insurance policy.

Fire Insurance - Why you Need It

Fire insurance is part of a home insurance policy. Fire insurance for your home is a way of protecting the value of your home in case of a fire. If a fire blazes through your home, your fire insurance will pay to repair any damage. Should your home be completely destroyed, the rebuilding costs are paid by your homeowners insurance.

Fire insurance in a home insurance policy not only covers your home, but your possessions as well. That is why it is so important to take a home inventory. Making a home inventory will help you get reimbursed quickly.

Home fire insurance will also pay additional living expenses should you not be able to live in your house while it is being repaired or rebuilt after a fire. Fire insurance in a home insurance policy will cover food costs and hotel bills; the coverage amount varies from company to company.

Fire Insurance - Fire Prevention Tips

Of course, the best type of fire insurance is fire prevention. Fire insurance will protect your assets after a fire, but why not prevent a fire before it happens? Here are some fire safety tips from FireSafety.gov:

Always have a smoke detector. Put a smoke alarm on every floor of the house, outside every bedroom.
Always test smoke alarms monthly. Change the batteries at least once a year.
Always make and practice a fire escape plan. Get the kids involved to teach them how to escape a fire.
Always keep an eye on cooking and stay in the kitchen. Turn pan handles inward to prevent spills.
Always keep lit candles away from things that can burn and out of the reach of children.
Never go back into a burning home for any reason.
Never open a door that feels hot. Escape another way.
Never let kids play with matches or lighters--children set over 35,000 fires a year.
Never force a three-prong plug into a two-slot outlet--electrical fires kill 485 Americans each year.
Never throw water on a grease fire or use a stove to heat your home.
Never go without fire insurance.

Fire Insurance Savings

Protecting your home with fire insurance doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. There are discounts you can receive on fire insurance through a home insurance policy for installing certain safety features such as a home sprinkler system or an alarm system that calls the fire department automatically.

You can also save on fire insurance by shopping for multiple home insurance quotes at InsWeb.