According to the National Fire Protection Association, heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fire deaths. Please take the time to go through their 10 point checklist to keep you, your family and pets safe this winter.
- Our furnace is inspected and serviced once every 12 months by a qualified professional.
- Our chimneys and vents are inspected and cleaned by a qualified professional at least once during the 12 month period. We have checked for creosote build up.
- Our wood for our fireplace and/or wood stove is dry, seasoned wood.
- Our fireplace screen is metal or heat-tempered glass, in good condition and secure in its position in front of the fireplace.
- We have a covered metal container ready to use to dispose cooled ashes. (The ash container should be kept at least 10 feet from the home and any nearby buildings.)
- Our children know to stay at least 3 feet away from the fireplace, wood/pellet stove, oil stove or other space heaters.
- Our portable space heaters have an automatic shut-off.
- Our portable space heaters will be plugged directly into an outlet (not an extension cord) and placed at least three feet from anything that can burn; like bedding, paper, walls, and even people. (Place notes throughout your home to remind you to turn-off portable heaters when you leave a room or go to bed.)
- We have tested our smoke alarms and made sure they are working. (You need a smoke alarm on every level of the home, inside each bedroom and outside each sleeping area. For the best protection, the smoke alarms should be interconnected so when one sounds, they all sound.)
- We have tested our carbon monoxide alarms and made sure they are working. (Carbon monoxide alarms should be located outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home.)
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