Heating Your Home Safely For Winter

Keeping your home or apartment warm during the months of December, January and February can cause safety concerns. Central heating units, portable and fixed space heaters and fireplaces are the second leading cause of home fires. A major cause of home heating fires is poorly maintained systems, placing space heaters too close to combustible items, such as bed covers, furniture or curtains, and flaws in construction and installation of the heating unit.

Unfortunately, young children and older adults are most often the victims. To keep your families safe follow these simple guidelines: Boilers, Furnaces, Hot Water Heaters, Wood

Burning Stoves & Fireplaces

•Have a qualified technician install all new equipment.

•Have a qualified professional inspect the equipment annually to ensure that it is in proper working order. If any parts require repair or replacement have it done.

•Schedule regular cleaning of the boiler, furnace and hot water heater, including the chimney and chimney connectors.

•Have a qualified professional inspect your wood-burning stove every year, including the chimney and chimney connectors.

•Keep a glass or metal screen in front of fireplace openings to prevent embers or sparks from jumping out of the fire.

•Never burn charcoal indoors. Burning charcoal can give off lethal amounts of carbon monoxide.

•Before going out or going to sleep make sure the fire in the fireplace is out.

Portable Gas-Fueled Space Heaters

Using kerosene or propane space heaters is illegal in New York City. The use of these types of space heaters poses a high risk of death and injury.

And remember to turn off the space heater whenever you leave the room or go to sleep.

Electric Space Heaters

•Always purchase an electric heater with an automatic shut-off feature.

•Placement of the heater should be at least 3 feet from any combustible material such as bedding and furniture.

•Keep young children away from any space heater, especially when they are wearing nightgowns or other loose clothing.

•Avoid using electric space heaters in bathrooms or other areas where they may come in contact with water.

•Turn off the space heater whenever you leave the room or go to sleep.

•Use only equipment that has the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) mark.

Never use the kitchen oven or gas range to heat your home or apartment. Improper use could cause dangerous levels of carbon monoxide to accumulate causing severe illness and possible death.

Carbon Monoxide Safety

Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless toxic gas. It's called the "silent killer" because it is totally undetectable by most people. Hundreds are killed each year by accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, and thousands are permanently injured.

Carbon monoxide is a by-product of incomplete combustion by fuel-burning appliances, vehicles or tools that are inadequately vented or maintained, such as fuel-fired furnaces, gas-fueled space heaters, gas ranges and ovens, gas clothes dryers, charcoal grills, gas or oil-fueled water heaters, fireplaces and wood-burning stoves, gas lawnmowers and power tools, and automobiles.

To prevent or minimize the potential for exposure to carbon monoxide gas have your home heating system, fuel-burning appliances, flues and chimneys inspected, cleaned and tuned up annually by a qualified technician.

•Do not use gas ovens and stoves to heat your home.

•Do not burn charcoal inside a home, cabin or camper.

•Do not operate gasoline-powered engines (generators or cutting saws) in confined areas such as a garage of basement. •Do not idle your car inside the garage.

Carbon Monoxide-Smoke Detectors

Effective November of 2004, New York City law required every new and existing multiple dwelling unit, as well as one- and two-family homes, be equipped with a carbon monoxide (CO) and a smoke detector alarm.

Smoke detector alarms must be installed within 15-feet of the primary entrance to all rooms used for sleeping purposes. It's a good idea to install them on every level including the basement.

Carbon monoxide detector alarms must be installed within 5-feet of a fuel-burning furnace or water heater, and on each floor of the home.

There are combination CO/smoke detector alarms, but carbon monoxide detector alarms do not sense smoke and smoke alarms do not sense carbon monoxide gas.

•Test all alarms at least once a month. A "chirping" smoke alarm is the warning for low batteries.

•Replace batteries twice a year., e.g. in the spring and fall when the clocks are changed for daylight savings time.

•Never paint over a CO or smoke-detector alarm.

•Clean the alarms regularly.

•Replace CO alarms as recommended by the manufacturer. •Replace smoke alarms at least every 10 years.

How To Make A Fire Escape Plan

Draw a graph, usually containing 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch squares, making sure you have enough pages to accommodate every room in your dwelling; indicate all windows and doors in each room; show stairways and number of stairs on each stairway; specify two ways out of each room using arrows, and discuss the escape routes with everyone in the home. Keep stairways and exits clear of clutter and storage. Agree to a place to meet outside of the home.

If the dwelling has a fire escape window with security bars or a gate make sure it is FDNY (Fire Department of New York) approved, and teach everyone in the home how to unlock and open it.

Since most fires occur in the early morning hours make the house dark, as if it is smoke filled; sound the smoke alarm so that everyone becomes familiar with it, have family members make sure children and older adults are awake and on their way out by crawling low on hands and knees, and make sure the last person leaving closes doors. •Do not stop to get dressed. •Do not stop to collect possessions. •Do meet at the agreed to meeting place.

•Call 911.

Fire safety information is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Haitian, Creole, Polish, Arabic, Urdu and Hebrew. Contact the Fire Department, Office of Fire Safety education, 718.999.2343/44