Heat Your Home Safely

When the weather gets cold, many people use different means of staying warm in their homes. Sometimes enough attention is not paid to how the heat is being attained and disaster can occur from burning down the home to death from carbon dioxide. Be sure to be safe while you stay warm.

FIREPLACE

Remember, you're deliberately bringing fire into your home; respect it.

  • Use a fireplace screen to prevent sparks from flying.

  • Don't store newspapers, kindling, or matches near the fireplace or have an exposed rug or wooden floor right in front of the fireplace.

  • Have your chimney inspected by a professional prior to the start of every heating season and cleaned to remove combustible creosote build-up if necessary.

  • Install a chimney spark arrester to prevent roof fires.

  • When lighting a gas fireplace, strike your match first, then turn on the gas.

FURNACE/SPACE HEATERS

Used improperly, a space heater can be the most dangerous appliance in your house.

  • Install and maintain heating equipment correctly. Have your furnace inspected by a professional prior to the start of every heating season .

  • Don't store newspapers, rags, or other combustible materials near a furnace, hot water heater, space heater, etc.

  • Don't leave space heaters operating when you're not in the room.

  • Keep space heaters at least three feet away from anything that might burn, including the wall.

  • Don't use extension cords with electrical space heaters. The high amount of current they require could melt the cord and start a fire.

  • When lighting a gas space heater, strike your match first, then turn on the gas.

  • Never use a gas range as a substitute for a furnace or space heater.

  • And also NEVER use any type of grill indoors for heat. Gas or charchol.

 

Be Safe - Not Sorry