How to Heat Your Home Safely

Seven times a day someone in this country dies in a home fire. Heating fires are the second leading cause of home fires in the United States and occur often as cold weather sets in and people turn on their heating system.

Heating one’s home through the winter can be expensive. Because of the cost, almost half of the families in the United States use alternate heating sources such as space heaters, fireplaces, or coal or wood stoves to stay warm. These supplemental heating sources can be dangerous if not used properly. The Red Cross offers the following safety tips on how to prevent fires:

• Keep all potential sources of fuel like paper, clothing, bedding, curtains or rugs at least three feet away from space heaters, stoves, or fireplaces.

• Portable heaters and fireplaces should never be left unattended. Turn off space heaters and make sure any embers in the fireplace are extinguished before going to bed or leaving home.

• If you must use a space heater, place it on a level, hard and nonflammable surface (such as ceramic tile floor), not on rugs or carpets or near bedding or drapes. Keep children and pets away from space heaters.

• When buying a space heater, look for models that shut off automatically if the heater falls over as another safety measure.

• Never use a cooking range or oven to heat your home.

• Keep fire in your fireplace by using a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.

• Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys, and furnaces professionally inspected and cleaned once a year.