Fire safety experts give easy tips on heating your home
HANOVER TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — With the cold temperatures and windy conditions, many people are turning up the heat inside their homes. Fire safety experts say there are a few easy tips you can follow to make sure you’re heating your space safely.
When it comes to home heating safety during the winter months, there are a few things that you should leave to the experts, like cleaning your chimney or taking care of frozen pipes, but there are also some steps you can take on your own to stay safe.
Low temperatures outside mean high heat indoors.
Hanover Township Fire Chief Joe Temarantz says during the winter months, they receive a lot of similar calls.
“Most of the time it’s the furnaces with people not taking care of them properly. So many times we will go to a call where we have smoke in the basement,” Chief Temarantz said.
The reason for this?
“People let the water run out of their furnaces and or their automatic water feed does not properly work,” Chief Temarantz explained.
You should bring in a repairman to make sure everything is working properly. A few minutes of observation can save you from a big repair bill or a fire.
With alternative heating methods like kerosene or electric space heaters:
“You know it’s so important that you make sure the tip-over switch works,” Chief Temarantz added.
That’s the automatic switch that turns the machine off if it falls over. Chief Temarants says if the switch doesn’t work, you shouldn’t use the space heater.
How much snow will PA get Monday into Tuesday?
When it comes to the area outside of your home, there are more rules you should follow.
The Hanover Township Fire Department also says that you should be mindful of where you park your car on the street when there’s snow and freezing temperatures.
“So our apparatus is 10 feet wide,” said Chief Temarantz.
Chief Temarantz says when there’s snow and ice, people tend to park farther away from the curb,
Making it difficult for firefighters to park on streets lined with cars on both sides.
“Push your mirror in, gives us a few inches on each side, which can make our break us getting to your house,” Chief Temarantz continued.
Finally, with windy conditions come power outages, and people using generators.
“Generators. Absolutely positively do not use it inside,” said Chief Temarantz.
You should also be careful about where the generator is placed outside.
“Some things that people do is put the generator outside along the foundation,” Chief Temarantz added.
Chief Temarantz says if you have a crack in your foundation and the exhaust system is facing your house, you’ll fill it with carbon monoxide: the silent, colorless, and odorless killer.
“Keep the generators outside, make sure that the exhaust system is away from your house, and just move forward with that. That’s very very important,” Chief Temarantz continued.
The Hanover Township Fire Department also recommends keeping your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors up to date, keeping a portable fire extinguisher on hand, and practicing fire escape drills with your family.
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