8 Ways to make sure you’re safely heating your home
Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of house fire deaths.
RAPID CITY, S.D. – As colder temperatures return, you need to make sure you’re safely heating your home. Heating is the number one cause of death in residential fires and the number two cause of all residential structure fires. Here are some ways you can keep yourself safe:
- Plug space heaters into outlets that have surge protection.
- If your space heater is older, have it checked out by an electrician or replace it.
- Keep a three foot buffer, around any heating source, free of anything flammable, pets, and children.
- Do not use your oven, stove, or any other cooking appliance to heat your home. That isn’t what they are intended for use.
- Use central heating if you have it.
“Central heating is always going to be your safest option. We want to make sure that those are professionally cleaned and checked on an annual basis.”, said Gail Schmidt, fire chief at Rockerville VFD. - Turn off space heaters when leaving the room or going to bed.
- Install and maintain carbon monoxide detectors on all levels of your home.
- Lastly, check your smoke detectors. They should be tested at least once a month and have their batteries replaced at least twice a year.
For more information on how you can protect yourself and your home from fires, you can visit the National Fire Protection Association’s website.
