Winter Weather Preparedness Week (December 1-7, 2019):

 

With the cold temperatures comes an increase in the number of house fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association, someone is injured in a fire every 31 minutes, and someone dies in a house fire every two and a half hours. Eighty five percent of all fire related deaths occurred in the home resulting from smoke and toxic fume inhalation. 

 

Chimney fires are the number one cause of home heating fires and are typically the result of a poorly maintained chimney where creosote is allowed to build up. House fires resulting from heating material within the home ranks second for the most deaths and property loss. Space heaters are typically involved in 25 percent of home heating fires but account for 74 percent of the deaths.  Common causes of space heating home fires are placing space heaters too close to combustibles, and fueling errors involving liquid or gas fueled heating equipment.

 

Inspect both fireplaces and wood stoves and use a sturdy screen or door in front of your fireplace when burning fires.  Do not hang holiday decorations from or on your fireplace if you plan to use it as a heat source.  Don't overload your electrical outlets and be careful of extension cords that present hazardous walkways.

 

Many people fall victim to fires in their homes during the winter. This fact means that everyone should have one or more working fire extinguishers. Make sure your fire extinguisher is fully charged. Be sure to test smoke detectors and replace any broken detectors and dead batteries.