Winter Fire Protection Tips are Important
When the weather is freezing, you may not think about fires. But that doesn’t mean that fires can’t happen. Unfortunately, winter fires are a serious and potentially deadly issue. For this reason, following winter fire protection tips is incredibly important. This is because home fires occur more in the winter than during any other season. There are a number of reasons for this. One main reason is that people use more tools, appliances and electronics to heat their homes during the cold winter months. Half of all home heating fires occur in the months of December, January and February. Heating equipment is involved in one of every six reported home fires and one of every five home fire deaths.
These statistics show that following winter fire protection tips is important. One of the key ways to protect yourself and your family is to use caution when heating your home.
Some Important Winter Fire Protection Tips to Keep you Safe
Here are some home heating safety tips and winter fire protection tips:• Keep home heating equipment (portable space heaters, etc.) at least three feet away from anything that can burn
• Have heaters, furnaces, fireplaces and other home heating equipment inspected, cleaned and – if necessary – repaired by a professional at the start of each winter
• Never use space heaters or other heating equipment that is damaged or functioning incorrectly
• Don’t leave operating space heaters unattended
• Plug only one heater into an electrical outlet at a time and avoid using extension cords
• Keep portable generators outside and away from windows
• Do not burn charcoal or propane in an enclosed space
• Install carbon monoxide detectors and test them frequently
Carbon monoxide is another common health risk during the winter months. In addition to following winter fire protection tips, also ensure that you have a plan for protecting yourself from carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odourless and tasteless gas that can be deadly. Many types of heaters can produce carbon monoxide and the gas can cause serious health problems and even death without warning.
When considering winter fire protection tips, think about installing monitored carbon monoxide detectors. These devices are connected to a central monitoring station that will alert you if unsafe levels of carbon monoxide are present in your home. This could save your life.
When it comes to winter fire protection tips, pay attention to heating your home safely and take precautions to ensure that every member of your family understands how to heat your home safely. Doing so can help prevent tragic accidents.