Safety Tips

A few helpful fire safety tips to help keep your home and love ones safe!

Prevent Chimney Fires

Because the number of chimney fires tends to increase in cold weather, we thought it would make sense to mention some prevention techniques.

Take down your stove every week or so to clean out the buildup of soot.

While the pipe is down and during daylight hours, take a mirror that can fit into the hole where the pipe goes and look up into the flue. It should be wide open and clear of any buildup. If not, get it professionally cleaned or do it yourself if you have the equipment and the expertise.

Many fires where houses are lost or severely damaged by a fire start out as chimney fires and work their way into the partitions. The fire department is always available for information and inspection.

Preparing for Winter

Tips for coming into winter:

Outside faucets should be shut off and drained properly to prevent freezing and breaking.
Window A/C should be removed and stored inside a warm building . Leaving the a/c in a window causes a lot of heat loss.
Try to keep leaves cleaned out of rain gutters to avoid snow backup that may cause damage to the house. Close or install storm windows.
Always remove screens on the side of the house facing the sun to get maximum solar through the windows. The screens can filter heat if left installed.
Have your chimneys cleaned and inspected before you start a wood fire each winter both in the stoves and furnaces.
Woodstove hook-up: refer to the above diagram for proper installation and be careful not to pile your wood too close to the stove. The Fire Department is always available for advice and inspection of woodstove and wood furnace installation.
Furnaces and pellet stoves should be cleaned and wood stoves and chimneys for those burning wood. Chimneys should be checked periodically throughout the heating season.

Stacking Wood:

When stacking wood close to your heat source always allow 2 to 3 feet of air space between your stove and your wood.
A hot stove can ignite a stack of wood if it is piled too close.

Portable Heaters:

Sometimes using a portable heater to take the chill off in the early days of cold weather is a good idea rather than starting up the furnace or using wood in the wood stoves and furnaces.
Read all warnings on heater labels and in the instructions.
Keep them a proper distance from flammable materials.
Use extra caution with electric heaters that could overload the circuits.
Be careful not to store items on the top of a gas heater.
And never hook up an electric heater with an extension cord.

Windshields and visibility:

This time of year the sun seems to be at an angle that can be very hazardous when driving into it, and having a clean windshield, inside and out, can make a huge difference in the driver’s ability to see what lies ahead.
It is pretty easy to keep the outside clean with windshield washers, but the inside takes a little more effort but can enhance visibility greatly.

Summer & Fall Safety Tips

Back to School:

Once school is back in session there will be a lot of students walking to and from school and to and from their buses. There are no sidewalks in many areas forcing students to walk in the roadways.
Walkers should remember to always walk on the left side of the road facing traffic and bike riders need to be riding with the flow of traffic on the right side.
As it gets darker earlier each day, walkers and bikers will need to wear light colored clothing and reflective vests when traveling in the dark or diminished light.
Drivers should be extra cautious with more pedestrians on the roads.

Firewood:

It’s not too soon to be thinking about the next heating season. If you burn wood, be sure the wood is properly cured.
Unseasoned wood can cause creosote which is very apt to plug up the chimney and cause a chimney fire.
And the chimney fire can lead to a partition fire and the home could be lost or severely damaged.
Have the chimney cleaned before starting a wood fire in the stove or furnace and have it checked regularly throughout the heating season.