GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services has released some helpful home heating safety tips as colder weather leads residents to use other options to keep warm.
According to a Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services Facebook post, it is important to take precautions before putting logs in the fireplace or plugging in an electric heater.
According to the United States Fire Administration, more than a fifth of residential fires “are related to the use of supplemental room heaters.”
Here are some helpful tips for home heating safety:
- Never use an oven or stove to heat your home.
- Keep anything that can burn, including yourself, three feet away from portable space heaters or other heating equipment.
- Install and maintain carbon monoxide alarms to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Buy only heaters evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
- Check to make sure it has a thermostat control mechanism, and will switch off automatically if the heater falls over.
- Heaters are not dryers or tables; don’t dry clothes or store objects on top of your heater.
- Plug space heaters directly into wall outlets and never into an extension cord or power strip.
- Always unplug your electric space heater when not in use.
- Never place space heaters close to combustible materials such as clothing, bedding and furniture. Space heaters need space at least three feet in all directions.
- Remember to turn the space heater off when going to sleep or when leaving home.
For more home heating safety tips, click here.
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