January 11, 2016
Winter Fire Safety - Is Your Home Safe?
According the Philadelphia Fire Department, heating equipment is the leading cause of home fires during the months of December, January, & February. Following these Winter Fire Safety tips from the U.S. Fire Administration and Philadelphia Fire Department:
- Inspect and maintain heating equipment regularly.
- Keep a three foot clearance between heating equipment and anything that can burn.
- Do not use your oven or stove burners to heat your home. It is a fire hazard and can be a source of toxic fumes.
- Install smoke alarms on every level of the home and, if possible, near every sleeping area. Test them on a monthly basis.
- Install and maintain carbon monoxide alarms to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
- If there is a fire hydrant near your home, help the fire department by keeping the hydrant clear of snow, so they can locate and use it in the event of a fire.
Space Heaters:
- Have fixed space heaters installed or inspected by a qualified technician, according to manufacturer's instructions or applicable codes.
- Buy portable space heaters with labels listing a recognized testing laboratory.
- Turn off space heaters every time you leave the room and before going to bed.
- Choose space heaters that turn off automatically if they tip over.
- Never use a space heater to dry clothing.
- Do not use an extension cord with a space heater unless the cord is properly rated and checked regularly.
Oil or Kerosene Heaters:
- Never use fuel burning appliances without proper ventilation.
- Only use the fuel recommended by the heater manufacturer.
- Never fill the heater while it is operating or hot. When refueling an oil or kerosene unit, avoid overfilling.
- Refueling should be done outside of the home.
Fireplaces:
- Have the chimney inspected annually and cleaned, if necessary.
- Keep a glass or metal screen in front of a fireplace opening to prevent embers or sparks from jumping out.
- Never burn charcoal indoors. It can give off legal amounts of carbon monoxide.
- Never close your damper with hot ashes in the fireplace.
- Never break a synthetic log apart or use more than one log at a time. They often burn unevenly and release higher levels of carbon monoxide.
Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management issued this content on 2016-01-14 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 2016-01-14 19:24:05 UTC
Original Document: https://alpha.phila.gov/news/oem/tip-of-the-week-home-heating-fire-danger-during-the-winter/