Safety Tips For Heating Your Home

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) tells us that home fires occur most often in the winter. This is for a variety of reasons, but the number one cause in the fall and winter specifically being heating equipment. With hundreds of lives claimed each year and billions of dollars caused in damages, serious accidents can often be prevented by following basic fire safety tips. Keep reading for our fire safety tips to help keep you and your family safe as we begin the fall and winter season.

Follow Safe Heating Practices

Making sure that you follow safe heating practices is one of the most important ways that you can make sure that you’re keeping your home safe from fire-related incidents during this fall and winter season. Accidents from heating equipment not only come in the form of space heaters, but also in fireplaces and ovens.

Servicemasterrestore.com gives us their tips on safely heating your home:

  • “Two of every five fires occur because of space heaters. If you have one in your home, make sure it has an automatic shut-off so that if it accidentally tips over, it will shut off before a fire starts.

  • Do not place space heaters or other heating equipment near flammable materials, such as furniture, clothing, mattresses or bedding. Maintain 3 feet between all heating equipment and other furniture or décor.

  • If you own a wood stove, always keep the doors closed. The only time you should open the doors is if you’re adding more wood or stoking the fire.

Have Your Chimneys and Vents Checked

Those who enjoy the many benefits of having a working fireplace during the colder months need to ensure that they’re having their chimneys and vents checked. As warm and atmospheric as having a burning fire in your fireplace can be, it also unfortunately presents multiple fire hazards.

Realty Times explains why having your chimneys and vents checked is absolutely essential:

Be Aware of Carbon Monoxide 

Carbon monoxide is a common household killer, made especially dangerous by the fact that it’s completely invisible. A number of heating appliances can cause CO poisoning, which makes this an exceptionally large hazard in the fall and winter.

Firemarshals.org explain why making sure you have multiple CO alarms situated throughout your home:

“When heating your home, you need to be aware of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide, also known as CO, is called the “invisible killer” because it’s a colorless, odorless, and poisonous gas. More than 150 people in the U.S. die every year from accidental CO poisoning from generators or fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, stoves, water heaters and fire places. Breathing CO at high levels can kill you.

Put CO alarms inside your home to provide an early warning of increasing CO levels. These alarms should be placed in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home.”

Fire-Alert takes pride in equipping homeowners with all necessary fire safety devices to ensure the well-being of families across the nation. Reach out to us using our contact form to find out more.