Home heating safety tips

As temperatures tumble this week, the Winterville Fire Department has some safety tips for properly heating your home.

Firefighters say heating equipment is a leading cause of home fire deaths.

-Keep anything that can burn at least three-feet away from heating equipment,

like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.

- Have a three-foot "kid-free zone" around open fires and space heaters.

- Never use your oven to heat your home.

-Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to local codes and manufacturer's instructions.

-Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.

-Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

-Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.

-Make sure your fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container outside. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.

-Test your smoke alarms at least once a month.

-Install and maintain Carbon Monoxide Alarms to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning with fuel burning heating appliances.