The coming of winter year-round brings along cold weather that chills a person to the bone. During these freezing months, people celebrate a variety of holidays, bundled around a warm fire or heater. Because of the rise of equipment being used in the winter, home fires occur more frequently than in any other season as these items can be more hazardous. It’s important to understand the importance of safely using these common fire hazards in order to keep your family safe and warm during the holidays.
Here are a few safety tips from 24Restore on how to maintain a warm home while using fire-hazardous instruments.
Space heaters are an extremely useful item to use to heat up a small area like a room that doesn’t quite get heat like the rest of the house. However, these heaters can pose a big threat if used improperly, causing destructive house fires. There are a few guidelines to keep in mind in order to lower the chances of danger. First, keep the space heater at least 3 feet away from anything flammable such as fabrics like blankets, table cloths, and curtains. Next, it’s important to be mindful of when you have the heater on. Do not leave the heater running when going to bed or leaving the area. With most equipment that uses heat, not forgetting about it will increase your safety immensely.
Fireplaces are extremely effective when trying to heat a home. However, there are several precautions that must be taken when lighting a fire. As stated previously, do not forget about the fire when leaving the home or going to bed. An unmonitored fire can engulf a home quicker than you realize.
When initially lighting the fire, make sure that the damper is open. While the fire is going on, keep the screen closed to manage any smoke damage. Of course, you will also need to keep all flammable objects away from the lit fire pit. When the fire is extinguished, do not close the damper until all the ashes are completely cooled.
A spike in the use of candles is usually seen around holidays, as many varieties use them in their traditions. Even flames of this small size still need to be taken as seriously as the large fire in a fireplace. As with previous items and anything that uses heat, keeping flammable objects away from the open flame and not forgetting about them is key. Extinguish them before falling asleep or leaving the home. Additionally, do not leave pets or small children around candles as they can burn themselves or knock them over, causing a distressing line of events.
At 24Restore, we understand how important it is to keep those close to you safe. Following winter safety tips can help you achieve that. However, if a fire does occur this season, reach out to our professionals to help you with the fire damage that follows. Our professional expertise can get your home back to the way it was as quickly as possible so that you can enjoy the holidays with those that matter to you.