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Winter Fire Safety Basics | SERVPRO of Dublin/Vidalia/Claxton
1/16/2024 (Permalink)
Fire safety is a top priority for us at SERVPRO of Dublin/Vidalia/Claxton this winter. Keep your home safe with these helpful tips!
Cozy season has fully set in around Georgia, which means comfy clothes, fluffy blankets and crackling fires in the fireplace. While enjoying the warmth of a fire or a toasty room warmed by the space heater is one of the joys of winter, it also leaves your home vulnerable to house fires.
House fires are always more common in the winter, and many of them start because of an accident that could have been prevented. With a few simple steps, you can keep your home safe and enjoy every minute of those fuzzy socks.
Winter storms in our area may be few, but when they do roll in, power outages can be common. That makes having a fireplace a great way to stay warm no matter what happens. Fireplaces come with their own risks, though, especially when they are used improperly.
Wood-burning fireplaces should be cleaned of ash and debris after each fire, and your chimney should be cleaned and inspected by a professional once a year regardless of the heat source.
You shouldn’t burn anything in your fireplace other than the appropriate fuel source. Make sure you keep flammable materials away as well, which also means skipping items that hang from a mantle. Make sure you have smoke detectors either in the room with the fireplace or right outside of it. If you have a gas fireplace, you should also have a carbon monoxide detector. Dust around your fireplace often, and keep a fire extinguisher nearby.
With weather that can go from winter to summer and back again all in the course of the day, space heaters are a great way to warm up a room instead of the whole house. Space heaters are responsible for nearly 1,700 house fires every year, making them a risky convenience.
Only run space heaters on solid, level ground with a three-feet open area all around them. Check the cord before you plug it in to make sure it is free of breaks or fraying, and always plug your space heater directly into the wall.
Don’t place your space heater near your couch, curtains or any other flammable material. Teach the kids, both human and animal, to stay away from space heaters when they are plugged in. Running your space heater overnight isn’t a good idea either—stick some extra blankets on your bed instead.
While most space heaters on the market today are going to come with safety features, there are a few in particular you want to ensure anything you run in your home has. If your current space heaters are more than five years old, it’s time for an upgrade to keep things safe.
Do some research on the manufacturer of the heater to ensure they are both reliable and certified. Heaters should undergo some pretty solid testing before they make it into the hands of the consumer. Only purchase space heaters that have automatic shutoff features. They should shut off when they are bumped or tipped and after a set amount of run time.
The cord on your space heater should be at least six feet long and made from sturdy materials. Space heaters should never be plugged into an extension cord, so make sure what you are buying has a long enough cord for your needs.
Never leave a space heater or operating fireplace unattended. This way you can keep things safe and cozy all season. If an accident does happen in your home, call SERVPRO of Dublin/Vidalia/Claxton right away. We will get soot, smoke or any other damage handled quickly.
A quick fire damage restoration is just a phone call away. Call SERVPRO® for immediate assistance.