Space heaters account for almost half of all home fires and most home fire deaths
Space heaters account for almost half of all home fires and most home fire deaths
While you're taking out your space heaters or heating lamps or getting firewood, safety should be top of mind. Space heaters account for almost half of all home fires and 81 percent of home fire deaths.
Houston - While you're taking out your space heaters or heating lamps or getting firewood, safety should be top of mind.
Space heaters account for almost half of all home fires and 81 percent of home fire deaths.
Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen has three key reminders to keep you and your family safe: practice heating safety, identify two ways out of your home, and designate a meeting place everyone in your household in case of a fire.
Practice heating safety
First, check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
"Make sure you have them in your home with new batteries," said Christensen.
She advises not to put them in the kitchen.
"You want it in your hallway. You want it the bedroom where people sleep," she added.
Christensen says while smoke detectors should be on the ceiling or high on a wall, carbon monoxide detectors should be at about knee-level
"Carbon monoxide tends to stay lower to the ground whereas smoke rises," she explained.
More than half of all house fire deaths are caused by having heating equipment too close to things that can burn like bedding or clothing. Christensen says keep those things, kids, and pets at least 3 feet away.
Also, never use a oven or stove to heat your home -- whether the appliance is gas or electric. Christensen says they are solely meant for cooking or baking.
"A lot of people have the gas stoves and they want to turn those on for heat. Again, it is not meant for that. If that flame were to blow out, now we're looking at the
carbon monoxide issue," she said.
Have a plan
Christensen urges identify at least two ways to get out of your home in case of a fire, and to designate a meeting place for everyone in your household.
"One of the hardest things we find is that people made it out of the home, they ran back in to look for a loved one not knowing they were already out," she noted.
Another important reminder is not to leave your car running in your garage even if you are not in the car.
Christensen says all it takes it for your car to run a few minutes for carbon monoxide to get inside your home, particularly if the garage is attached to your home.