January and February sees the peak of home heating fires and carbon monoxide poisonings. Here are some tips to avoiding problems in your home.

Heating Equipment:

*Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from furnaces, fireplaces, wood

stoves, or portable space heaters.

*Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.

*Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year.

*Turn off portable heaters when leaving the room or going to bed.

*Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into a room.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning:

*Replace the battery for your home’s CO detector each spring and fall.

*Do not heat your home with a gas range or oven.

*Never run a car or truck inside an attached garage.

Smoke Detectors:

*Test your smoke alarms at least once a month.

*Change batteries when daylight savings time changes.

*When a smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside.

*Replace all smoke alarms in your home every 10 years.