Protect Your Home in a Freeze

As families turn to alternative heating sources out of necessity or to avoid the rising cost of fuel, they should take the following precautions:

• Use caution with portable space heaters- Heating equipment is the leading cause of home fires during the winter months, according to the National Fire Prevention Association. About two-thirds of home heating fire deaths are caused by portable or fixed space heaters.

o    To prevent fire, place space heaters at least three feet away from anything combustible, including wallpaper, bedding, clothing, pets and people.

o    Never leave space heaters operating when you are not in the room or when you go to bed. Don't leave children or pets unattended near space heaters.

o    Drying wet mittens or other clothing over space heaters is a fire hazard.

• Make sure smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms are working properly and replace batteries as necessary.        
• Have your chimney connections and flues inspected by a professional and cleaned if necessary prior to the start of every heating season.
• Use a sturdy fireplace screen when burning fires. Burn only wood - never burn paper or pine boughs. 
• Do not use candles for lighting if the power goes out. Use flashlights only.
• Always operate portable generators outdoors - never inside, including the basement or garage. Do not connect a generator directly to your home's wiring – leave that work to a professional electrician and buy a generator designed for that purpose. The safest thing to do is to connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator. Connecting a cord from the generator to a point on the permanent wiring system and back-feeding power to your home is an unsafemethod to supply a building with power.
• Don't overload your electrical outlets. Be careful of extension cords that present hazardous walkways.