Winter Fire Safety

Article By: Monica L. Bonsett
Family and Consumer Sciences Educator
01/14/2010

This January has been packed with record freezing temperatures, which bring additional safety hazards. To minimize the risk of house fires, remember the following general tips all year:

• Install at least one smoke alarm on each level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms or other sleeping areas. According to FEMA, properly working smoke alarms decrease your chances of dying in a fire by 50%. Remember to change the batteries in all your smoke alarms at least once a year. A good way to remember to do this is to replace the batteries the same time you change your clocks every autumn and spring. Check the batteries monthly by pushing the test button for 5 seconds on the smoke alarm. The alarm should sound.
• Replace smoke alarms every ten years.
• Clean the lint trap of your clothes dryer after every load; vacuum the exhaust hose once a year.
• Keep fire extinguishers in the kitchen, laundry room, and garage (an extinguisher with an ABC rating can fight fires caused by paper, wood, cloth, flammable liquids, and electrical short circuits).
• Have a family escape plan that you practice on a regular basis so everyone is familiar with it and knows the meeting place outside the home. (Place escape ladders near a window of all bedrooms above ground level.)

If you are using a fireplace to heat your home, have your chimney inspected by a professional before using it each season. If the chimney is not properly cleaned, creosote—a chemical substance that forms when wood burns—can build up inside chimneys and cause a fire. Additional fire safety rules when using a fireplace:

• Never use flammable liquids in a fireplace.
• Never burn paper or pine boughs as these materials can float out of the chimney and ignite a neighbor’s home.
• Do not cut up your live Christmas tree for firewood for the same reason. Instead take it to the landfill by the end of January to be recycled (at no charge).
• Don’t use wrapping paper as kindling either as it produces toxic fumes when it burns.
• Use a sturdy fireplace screen to contain the fire.

When using portable heaters or space heaters, place them at least three feet away from flammable items, such as wallpaper, bedding, clothing, pets, and people.

Never use a space heater to dry clothing. Turn off heaters when unattended and never leave small children or pets alone with a space heater.

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