
Safety Tips for Chicago Smokers to Prevent Fire Damage

Sam Simon
September 24, 2015On average, nearly 20 adults in every 100 in this country smoke cigarettes or other smoking materials. In Illinois, the most current data on smokers is slightly more optimistic, with 14 to 15 of every 100 adults smoking.
Of course, smoking doesn’t bode well for the good health and longevity of anyone who smokes or those who are subjected to second-hand smoke. Plus, thousands of home and business fires are attributed to smoking each year. Fortunately, when it comes to smoking and fire damage, there is some good news: Fires caused by cigarettes and other smoking materials are preventable in the greater Chicago area and elsewhere.
To avoid having to call the fire and smoke restoration specialists with ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons, review these fire-safety tips and put them into action. Your family and friends will thank you!
- Install a smoke alarm on every level of your home. Test the batteries every month and change them at least once a year.
- Put a fire extinguisher in rooms where a fire is most likely to start, including your kitchen, living room, laundry room, and bedrooms. Teach your family members how to use a fire extinguisher.
- Because most home fires caused by smoking materials start inside, go outside before you light up. Ask family members and guests who smoke to go outside to smoke.
- Never walk away from cigarettes, cigars, or pipes that are lit.
- Make sure you’re alert before lighting up. If you’re sleepy, medicated, or intoxicated, resist the urge to have another cigarette.
- Never smoke in bed. Mattress and bedding can ignite easily and cause tremendous bodily injury or even death.
- Never smoke in a home where oxygen is used, even if it’s shut off. Oxygen is very explosive and makes a fire burn hotter and faster.
- Whenever you smoke, use deep, sturdy ashtrays with wide, stable bases that are hard to tip over. Make sure each cigarette is completely stubbed out in the tray. If you smoke outside, thoroughly extinguish your cigarette butts in a can filled with sand.
- Empty ashtrays into an air-tight metal container. Soak cigarette butts and ashes in cold water before throwing them away, and never toss hot butts or ashes in a trash can.
One final tip from the U.S. Fire Administration is to use fire-safe cigarettes. These cigarettes have banded paper that can slow the burn of a cigarette that isn’t being used.
If you’re the unfortunate victim of a house fire and require fire damage, smoke damage, or water damage restoration in the greater Chicago area,
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ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons at 773-376-1110. We’ve got the resources, tools, trained damage restoration specialists, expertise, and compassion to get you and your family back on track.
Sam Simon
Sam Simon is the Co-Owner and Managing Director of ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, a certified MBE/WBE disaster restoration and specialty cleaning firm proudly serving Cook, Lake, and DuPage Counties in Illinois. With over 30 years of experience in restoration project management, field operations, and emergency response, Sam plays a vital leadership role in overseeing service execution, technician development, reconstruction, and subcontractor coordination.
He holds the IICRC’s highest technical designation as a Master Fire & Water Restorer, a distinction achieved by fewer than 1% of professionals in the restoration industry. His technical scope includes water and flood damage restoration, fire and smoke recovery, mold remediation, and post-disaster reconstruction across both residential and commercial sectors.
Sam has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to helping communities in crisis. He has participated in large-scale disaster recovery efforts across the U.S., providing boots-on-the-ground leadership during Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, and Harvey, as well as catastrophic floods, wildfires, and deep freeze events throughout Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, and beyond. His dedication to serving distressed families and businesses in the wake of national catastrophes reflects both his personal values and ServiceMaster’s mission of restoring peace of mind.
In 2019, Sam was selected for the HACIA Contractor Training Program, a competitive six-month construction management cohort offered by the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association. The program delivers intensive instruction in blueprint reading, estimating, project management, and construction law—skills that support the company’s continued growth in emergency build-back and general contracting services.
Before co-founding ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, Sam built a successful creative career under the name Sam Zabadneh, contributing to notable film and television productions including Chicago Fire (2012), Juvies (2007), and Image Union (1978). His media and videography background continues to shape ServiceMaster’s marketing strategy, digital training resources, and brand storytelling.
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Sam is also the co-author of RESTORE: A Complete Guide to Protecting Your Home As Your Most Valuable Asset—a practical guidebook for homeowners navigating the challenges of water, fire, and mold damage.
Under the direction of majority owner and President & CEO Nasutsa Mabwa, and with Sam’s operational leadership, ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons has earned numerous regional and national accolades, including:
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