Heating Safety
Date:
12/07/2009 (Last updated: 12/08/2009)Summary:
This time of year, Yuma’s weather is usually much better than that being experienced in other parts of the country.Contact:
This time of year, Yuma's weather is usually much better than that being experienced in other parts of the country. That does not mean that temperatures can't dip down low enough to make things uncomfortably cool, like they have recently. When that happens, sometimes alternative heating sources are used. Improper use of heating equipment can have serious results.
Every year, tens of thousands of heating related fires occur, causing hundreds of deaths. In 2006, 64,100 heating fires happened in the U.S. and 540 people lost their lives in those fires. Better designs and more attention to safety have been reducing the number of heating fires and fire deaths, but we have a long way to go. Prior to 1990, heating related fires were the leading cause of home fires. Since then it has been cooking related fires. Here are some tips to remember:
- Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from heating equipment (furnace, wood stove, portable heater, fireplace, etc.).
- Only use heating equipment that has the label of a recognized testing laboratory.
- Never use your oven for heating.
- Turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
- Make sure all fuel burning equipment is vented to the outside to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Test smoke alarms at least monthly.
Have a safe and happy holiday season! For more information about fire safety and injury prevention, contact the Yuma Fire Department Public Information Office at 373-4855.
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Follow the Yuma Fire Department on Twitter. The address is www.twitter.com/YumaFireDept. (This link will take you to an external website that is not part of the City of Yuma official website.)
