Fire and Heater Safety

  This week, Houston has been hit with unusually frigid temperatures, rolling blackouts, and icy roads. Prepare and be safe inside and outside your home.

Even though space heaters are an easy alternative for warming up a room, they are also the main cause of home fires during the winter months.  Here are a few pointers that can make all of the difference between staying warm, and becoming a victim of fire.

• Never use your stove or oven to heat your home. 
• Never leave space heaters unattended. 
• Keep all flammable materials at least three feet away from space heaters, fireplaces and stoves. 
• Place your space heater on a hard, level, nonflammable surface. 
• Keep children and pets away. 
• Look for space heaters that shut off automatically if they fall over. 
• Keep the fire in your fireplace by using a glass or metal screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs. Never leave fireplaces unattended. 
• Be sure to have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys and furnaces professionally inspected once a year.

Make it your goal to prepare ahead, install smoke alarms on every floor of your home. Check them once a month by pressing the test button and replace the batteries as necessary. 

Finally, confirm that your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly, and practice your home fire escape plan so every member of your family, including young children and pets, can get out quickly and safely.