New Lenox FD: When Temperatures Drop, Risk For House Fires Heats Up

From the New Lenox Fire Department:

Winter temperatures have started to creep their way into the area, making it time to prepare our homes for the heating season. The months of December, January and February account for half of all home heating fires.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2011, heating equipment was involved in an estimated 53,600 reported home structure fires, 400 deaths, 1,520 injuries and $893 million in direct property damage. These fires accounted for 14 percent of all reported home fires.

The NFPA also found from 2007 to 2011 space heaters accounted for a third of home heating fires, and four out of five home heating fire deaths.

The leading factor contributing to the home fires was failure to clean heating equipment, primarily chimneys. Of these fires, the placement of things that can burn too close to heating equipment or placing heating equipment too close to things that can burn was the leading factor contributing to ignition in fatal home heating fires and accounted for more than half of home heating fire deaths.

The New Lenox Fire Protection District wants to help New Lenox residents to be warm and safe this winter with a few simple tips to get ahead of the winter freeze:

• Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional. Not cleaning chimneys is the leading cause of chimney fires from built up creosote.
• Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.
• Wood for fireplaces and wood stoves should be dry, seasoned wood.
• Fireplace screens need to be metal or heat-tempered glass in good condition and secure in its position in from of the fireplace.
• There should be a covered metal container read to use to dispose cooled ashes. The ash container should be kept at least 10 feet away from the home and any nearby buildings.
• Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
• Portable space heaters need to have an automatic shut-off. They should also be turned off before when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Portable space heaters need to be plugged directly into an outlet, not an extension cord.
• Keep anything that can burn at least three-feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
• Never use an oven to heat your home.
• Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.
• Test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors monthly.

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