4 Tips for Winter Fire Safety

1/7/2020 (Permalink)

House fires spike when the weather gets colder in the months of December and January. The leading cause of these house fires is the use of heating equipment. According to the National Fire Protection Association, the US Fire Department responds to an average of 50 thousand fires per year just from heating equipment.

Here are a few simple tips that you can follow to prevent house fires in your home this winter:

1.) Be mindful when using space heaters.

Space heaters account for more than two in five of house fires due to heating equipment (source: NFPA). Of these fires, 86% result in fatalities. The biggest cause of space heater fires is having them placed too close to flammable objects. In order to prevent this, you can follow the "3 feet" rule (see tip #2).

2.) Follow the "3 feet" rule.

A good rule of thumb is to keep anything that is flammable a minimum of three feet from any heating equipment, such as the furnace, fireplace, wood stove and portable space heaters. This will lessen the chance of anything accidentally catching fire. 

3.) Turn off all heating equipment before going to bed.

Most heating equipment fires do not occur overnight. However, the ones that do account for almost half of house fire fatalities from heating equipment. Make sure to turn off all heating equipment before going to bed. You're better off using an extra blanket or two than unnecessarily risking your life.

4.) Remember that ovens are not heaters.

Ovens should never be used for a source of heat. This is an inefficient way to heat your house, and it can actually cause carbon monoxide poisoning. Stick to using your oven to make food as it's designed to do. 

Contact Information:

If you have any questions about wintertime fire safety or fire damage, please do not hesitate to call the SERVPRO of Bend office at 541-385-7044. We service all of Central Oregon, including Bend, Redmond, Sisters, Sunriver, Madras, La Pine, Prineville and all of the surrounding areas.