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 SAFE and WARM

As the temperature outside drops, many families take to the indoors to keep safe and warm.  What they may not realize is that turning up the heat can increase the risk of home heating fires.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), nearly half of all home-heating fires occur during winter months.  On average, NFPA research show that heating equipment is involved in roughly 70,000 reported U.S. home structure fires.  NFPA  research has found that December, January, and February are generally the deadliest months for fire. 

While these numbers are frightening, nearly all of these fires are preventable.  We can reduce the number of home heating fires in our community by taking some simple precautions and using heating equipment properly. 

NFPA and Central Fire Department recommend some simple home heating safety tips to help protect you homes:

• Keep flammable objects at least three feet away from heating equipment, such as the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable heater.

• Never use your oven for heating.

• Maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected annually by a qualified professional.

• Turn off all portable heaters when leaving the room or going to bed.

• Install and maintain carbon monoxide (CO) alarms along with smoke detectors.

• Test all smoke alarms and CO alarms at least monthly.   

Have your Chimneys and Fireplaces cleaned and inspected once a year.

• Make sure the damper is open before you start a fire.
• Have a screen that is big enough to cover the entire opening and heavy enough to stop a log from rolling out.
• NEVER  leave a fire unattended.
• Store cooled ashes in a tightly sealed metal container outside and away from the house.

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Carbon Monoxide is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas that is created when combustibles burn incompletely.  This silent killer, carbon monoxide, enters the body through breathing.  Everyone is at risk for CO poisoning, but people with physical conditions that limit ability to use oxygen, infants, pregnant women and the elderly can be more severely affected by low concentrations than healthy adults.  High levels of CO can be fatal for anyone, causing death within minutes.

Symptoms of CO poisoning include shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, light-headedness, or headaches .   

• CO alarms are not substitutes for smoke alarms, everyone needs to have both and know the difference between the alarm sounds.
• If the audible trouble signal sounds, check for low batteries or other trouble indicators.
• If your CO alarm sounds, immediately move  outdoors  and call 911.