Heating Safety

Heating equipment malfunction or lack of safety awareness can lead to home fire. According to the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) “half of home heating equipment fires are reported during the months of December, January, and February.”

You can prevent most heating-related fires from happening by following some simple safety tips:

• Keep any object that can burn (anything made out of paper, wood, cardboard, fabric, plastic and especially flammables) at least three feet away from any heating equipment (furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater).
• Arrange to block the access of kids and pets around open fires and space heaters.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.
• Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.
• Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.
• Test smoke alarms monthly.