Stay safe when heating home

Staff report

BOARDMAN

The National Fire Protection Association and the Boardman Township Fire Department remind residents that the top three months for fire deaths are December, January and February.

Toward that end, the association and fire department offer these fire-safety tips:

Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from heating equipment, such as the furnace or portable space heater.

Never use an oven to heat a home.

Designate a 3-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.

Use a qualified professional to install stationary space-heating equipment, water heaters or central-heating equipment.

Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected annually.

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

Make sure you’re using the right kind of fuel as stated by the manufacturer for fuel-burning space heaters.

Have a sturdy screen in front of the fireplace to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should cool before being placed in a metal container with a lid and set away from any structures.

Have working smoke alarms on every level of the house.

Develop and practice an escape plan that includes two ways out of each room and an outside meeting place.