Stay Safe While Heating Your Home During Cold Winter Months

Cold Weather Brings Added Risks from Alternative Heaters 50% of all home heating fires occurred in December, January, and February January "Heating equipment was involved in an estimated: Space heaters and wood burning stoves have accounted for 33% of reported 2007-2011 US. home heating fires ALATD Hire a certified professional to installI, clean, inspect, and service your heating equipment and chimneys annually *According to the National Fire Protection Association 2011 Never use extension cords to power space heaters Turn off portable space heaters when leaving room or going to sleep Keep all flammable materials at least 3 feet away from heating sources Use only the fuel recommended by the heater manufacturer Keep children and pets from space heaters and fireplaces Never use the oven to heat your home Place a glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace MORE WAYS TO STAY SAFE REMEMBER – working SMOKE AND CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS provide you and your family with warning signals and critical time to escape your house in case of an emergency. INSTALL SMOKE ALARMS on every level of your home, inside bedrooms, and outside sleeping areas, and place CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home. Please visit the NYS Department of Health's F.I.R.E. Toolkit for more information. 53,600 reported US home fires $893 million in property damage 1,520 injuries 400 deaths