Your Fire Department Wants to Keep You Safe and Warm This Upcoming Winter

In Central Oregon we are enjoying the warm daytime temperatures, but at night the temperature outside has been dropping to near freezing. When the temperature drops, families take to the indoors to keep safe and warm. What they may not realize is that turning up the heat can increase the risk of home heating fires.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, NFPA, nearly half of all home-heating fires occur during the winter months. On average, NFPA research show that heating equipment is involved in roughly 70,000 reported U.S. home structure fires, with associated loss of more than 600 civilian deaths, almost 1,600 civilian injuries and more than $1 billion in direct property damage.

“While these numbers are frightening, nearly all of these fires are preventable,” said Larry Langley, Fire Chief with the Crooked River Ranch Fire Department. “We can reduce the number of home heating fires in our community by taking some simple precautions and using heating equipment properly.” NFPA and the Crooked River Ranch Fire Department recommend some simple home heating safety tips so residents can help keep our community safe and warm this winter.

• Have your chimney inspected each year and cleaned if necessary.
• Use a sturdy fireplace screen.
• Allow ashes to cool before disposing. Dispose of ashes in a metal container. Place the metal ash container outside and away from the house.
• Space heaters need space. Keep all things that can burn, such as paper, bedding or furniture, at least 3 feet away from heating equipment.
• Turn portable heaters off when you go to bed or leave the room.
• Plug power cords only into outlets with sufficient capacity and never into an extension cord.
• Inspect for cracked or broken plugs or loose connections. Replace before using.
• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. Test smoke alarms at least once a month.
• Install and maintain a carbon monoxide alarm in a central location outside each sleeping area.
• Never use an oven or other non-approved portable fueled heaters to heat your home.

Contact your local fire department for additional information on how you can prevent home heating fires from starting.

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For More Information:
Gail Martin,
Fire Administrator Crooked River Ranch Fire Department

Phone: 923-6776

Release Date: 2009-09-29

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