Winter is a tough season for many reasons, and keeping your house warm as frigid temperatures rage outside can be one of them.
During the winter, your home should protect you from freezing temperatures. However, you must make sure your heating your home in a safe manner.
Fireplaces and space heaters are a convenient way to heat your home but they can also pose as a threat to safety in your home.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, after cooking, heating is the second leading cause of home fires.
Home heating fires are classified as confined fires, fires confined to chimneys, flues or fuel burners and non-confined fires, fires that spread past the object of origin because of heating sources like space heaters and fireplace were too close to things that can burn.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, (based on annual averages) almost half of all home-heating fires happened in December, January, and February.
Here are several tips on how you can safely heat your home this winter:
- Anything that can start on fire should be kept three feet away from any heating equipment.
- If you have children in the home, make a kid-free zone around fireplaces and space heaters.
- Hire a professional to install heating elements in your home, such as a stationary space heater, a water heater, or a furnace.
- Have a professional heating company inspect your heating system and fireplace yearly to ensure it is up to code and safe to use.
- You should be getting chimneys and furnaces cleaned each year.
- A portable heater needs to be turned off when leaving the room, the home or going to bed.
- Test your smoke alarms at least once a month.
Rich Fire Protection provides a 24-hour fire protection service that includes emergency dispatch services and inspections of sprinkler systems.
Contact us today and we can help you ensure your fire prevention system is in great condition.
