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Staying Fire-Safe in the Winter | SERVPRO of Cape Girardeau & Scott Counties
1/16/2024 (Permalink)
Fire safety is a top priority for us at SERVPRO of Cape Girardeau & Scott Counties this winter. Keep your home safe with these helpful tips!
It’s the coziest time of the year! Even if you hate the winter season, you have to admit that curling up with a fuzzy blanket and a calming fire is a pretty nice scene. It may be a nice scene, but fireplaces and space heaters come with their own dangers.
During the cold months, the number of house fires goes up drastically. Many of the fires that start come from accidents that are easy to prevent. That’s good news—by taking some simple actions, you can enjoy your fuzzy socks, fuzzy blankets and all other things fuzzy without worry.
Fireplaces in the home are a great source of alternate heat when the power goes out, but without proper care, things can get pretty dangerous. If you have a wood-burning fireplace, ashes and other debris should be cleared out after every fire. Your chimney should be cleaned and inspected by a professional every year regardless of what your heat source is.
Don’t have decorations on your mantle, and avoid putting anything flammable near the fireplace. You should have a smoke detector in the room with your fireplace, and if your fireplace is gas, you should also have a carbon monoxide detector. Keep everything clean around the fireplace to avoid the chance of a spark burning dust. It is a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher not far from your fireplace as well.
Space heaters are a great way to warm up a room, especially in early or late winter when the temperature tends to swing widely from hot to warm in a day. Space heaters cause nearly 1,700 house fires every year, all of them from malfunction or improper use.
Make sure your space heater is always on a flat surface and has a clear space to run. Check the cord before plugging it in to ensure everything is in good shape, and always plug your space heater directly into a wall outlet.
Tell the kids to stay clear of the heater, and make sure your four-legged friends also do the same. Even if you want the heater right next to you, running the heater near curtains, the couch or any other soft materials can be hazardous. Another great way to stay safe is to add a blanket to your bed for cold nights instead of running a space heater.
Many space heaters on the market today come with a number of safety features, but there are a few you will want to make sure anything you run in your home always has. This could mean replacing your current heaters, especially if they are more than five years old.
Only make space heater purchases from a manufacturer that is both reliable and certified. Do your research to make sure they put their items through rigorous safety testing before they put them on the market. Any space heater you own should have an automatic shutoff feature that turns off the heating elements if it is tipped over. Space heaters should also have a feature that either acts as a thermostat, preventing overheating, or automatically shuts off after a number of hours running.
Cords on space heaters should be pretty heavy duty and at least six feet long. You should never plug your space heater into an extension cord, so make sure you are purchasing one with a long enough cord to be plugged directly into the wall.
Never leave a space heater unattended. With these safety tips, you can keep your home the exact temperature you want it to be while you stay comfy. If you do experience a fire, you can rely on SERVPRO of Cape Girardeau & Scott Counties to put your home back together fast, day or night.
A quick fire damage restoration is just a phone call away. Call SERVPRO® for immediate assistance.