Important Wintertime Fire Safety Tips
All fifty states have experienced bitter cold temperatures recently. This has left people seeking warmth and comfort, often by firing up their wood burning fireplaces and stoves. With increased wood fires within the home, have unfortunately come more house fires. Wintertime fire safety is a must. Stay safe this winter with sound fire safety practices.
Alarms Save Lives
The American Red Cross states that seven people die each day as a result of a fire in the home. Therefore, they have vowed to decrease home fire death and injuries by 25% within the next five years. Install proper alarms to protect your loved ones from fire related incidents.
Smoke
One obvious way is with working smoke alarms. Why? Because smoke spreads faster than fire. Smoke alarms provide people the chance to escape before the fire can reach them.
Some rules of thumb to follow according to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) include:
- Install fire alarms on every floor of the home
- Test smoke alarms every month
- Change the batteries in your smoke alarm yearly (a good reminder is when clocks are updated during Daylight Saving Time, change your smoke alarm batteries too)
- Replace all smoke alarms every 10 years
Three out of five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms (38%) or no working smoke alarms (21%). Without question, smoke alarms do save lives.
Carbon Monoxide
Another type of alarm every home should have in working order is to detect excessive amounts of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a highly toxic gas that is produced when fuel is burned. It has no color, taste or smell. It is often called the “invisible killer”. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning mimic the flu including sleepiness, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, vomiting, shortness of breath and convulsions. The first step in treating carbon monoxide poisoning is getting the victim to fresh air, then seek professional medical care.
Excessive amounts of carbon monoxide usually result from the burning of gas, oil and coal for fuel in a poorly vented space. However, make no mistake, wood fires also produce carbon monoxide. Make sure to vent rooms appropriately where fireplaces and wood stoves are in use.
Common Sense
Especially during the winter months, people turn to additional heat sources to add warmth and comfort to their homes. Make sure fire safety is at the forefront before striking the first match. In a lot of cases, home fires could have been prevented. Below is a list of “common sense” safety tips:
- Make sure the fireplace and/or wood burning stove is in working order (this includes proper inspection and cleaning)
- Only burn properly dried firewood, never trash
- Keep all potential sources of fuel like paper, clothing, bedding or rugs at least three feet away from space heaters, stoves or fireplaces
- Fireplaces should never be left unattended, make sure any embers in the fireplace are extinguished before going to bed or leaving home
Make sure to have working smoke/carbon monoxide alarms and use common sense before snuggling up in front of the fire this winter. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” after all!
Order the Best Firewood, Kiln Dried Firewood, from Premier Firewood
Premier Firewood Company™ is fully behind safety awareness efforts. We want our clients to enjoy a wonderful fire with kiln dried firewood and be safe at all times. At Premier Firewood Company™, we take pride in our products and services. Give us a call at 203.866.4252 to place an order or order online 24/7.