Guidelines For Winter Home Safety
Wintertime is a time for heating equipment. Most heating equipment will require extra care and maintenance to keep your home safe from accidents or fires. Here are some helpful tips to keep your family safe and prevent fires from happening during the wintertime.
If you are using space heaters, be sure that you place your space heater at least 3 feet away from anything that can burn. This includes furniture, window drapes, pets, or even people. Space heaters are a main concern for home fires during the winter months.
Pets or children need to be supervised while a space heater is turned on. Be careful that your space heater is turned off when little children are around it or after you leave the room. A space heater can cause severe burns and fires if tipped over while it is still on.
Be sure that you have your fireplace checked annually for any safety repairs that may be needed. Fireplaces and stoves can also be a fire hazard if not maintained properly. Supervise your children when your fireplace, or stove, is in use to avoid burns.
Smoke alarms should be placed on every level of the home and in all sleeping areas. Be sure that your smoke alarms are charged properly. Check the batteries quarterly to make certain that the smoke alarm is in working order.
Take precautions against carbon monoxide poisoning. Many professional security companies now have carbon monoxide alarms that go off if a gas leak is detected in your home. A lot of heating equipment, like stoves and furnaces, use fuel so a carbon monoxide alarm is a useful security precaution.
Use your home equipment the way it is meant to be used.For example, you wouldn't want to heat up your home with your oven. Instead, use your furnace to do the job heating up your home.
Natural disasters or power outages can happen at any time. Be prepared for emergencies. Stock up on needed supplies, such as food, water and blankets to keep yourself safe and warm in case of emergencies.
