Homer Fire Department Providing Safety Tips When Heating Your Home

After a recent furnace fire in the Village of Homer last week, the Homer Fire Department is offering safety tips for residents when heating their homes for this upcoming winter season. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fire deaths with half of deaths happening in the months of December, January and February.

Residents can utilize the following tips to ensure they stay safe for the colder weather months. The NFPA says you should keep anything that could burn at least 3 feet from heating equipment including furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves, or a portable space heater. You should also have a 3-foot “kids-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.

You should also never use an oven as a way to heat your home. Before use, have a qualified professional inspect heating equipment and clean chimneys every year.

When using a portable heater, ensure that they are turned off when you leave the room, and never plug into a surge protector.

Other tips include:

• Using the correct type of field, specified by the manufacturer for fuel burning space heaters
• Ensure fireplaces have a sturdy screen to stop sparks; make sure ashes cool before placing them in a container
• Test your smoke alarms at least once a month