As our community prepares to cope with temperatures in the single digits, the Greenville Fire Department is urging residents to follow a few simple safety tips and precautions to prevent fires due to home
heating equipment. According to the National Fire Protection Association, heating equipment is the second leading cause of home fire deaths and the second leading cause of home fire injuries. In 2007-2011, most home heating fire deaths involved stationary or portable space heaters.
Heating Safety Tips
· Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment such as a furnace, fireplace, wood stove or portable space heater
· Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters
· Never use your oven to heat your home
· Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed
· Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters
· Take any fuel-powered equipment outside your home before attempting to refuel
· Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room
· Make sure ashes are cool before putting them in a metal container and keep the container a safe distance away from your home
For more heating safety tips, visit http://www.greenvillesc.gov/firedept/forms/heating_safety.pdf.
Heating Safety Tips from the GFD
