In the past weeks, two large fires have caused a death and severe injuries to residents of Henderson County.
The Hendersonian judged it a good time to review some fire safety tips as we move to the colder months of December, January and February, when about half of all home heating fires occur in a year.
The Henderson Fire Department offered tips and recommendations to help keep your family safe during winter.
Tips and recommendations for fire prevention moving into winter
- Get HVAC systems professionally checked regularly
- If using a space heater, don’t place combustibles within three feet of the space heater
- Do not plug a space heater into a power strip or adapter
- Plug a space heater directly into a wall unit
- Don’t leave space heater on while unattended; make sure to turn off when you leave the room and house
- Plug in only one large appliance in a plug at a time
- Fireplaces and chimneys should be professionally cleaned every year
- Test carbon monoxide detectors monthly
- Test batteries in smoke detectors every six months
- Anybody in Henderson County can get free smoke detectors in homes from HFD. Call to set up a time
- Recommended to put one fire detector in each room where people sleep, and at least one on every level of the home
- Sleeping with your bedroom door closed provides protection from fire starting in other areas of a home
- Have a fire extinguisher at your home
Lithium-ion battery safety:
- Charge phone on solid surface, not in your bed
- Buy only reputable batteries
- Use cables that came with the item to charge
- Recycle batteries responsibly
- Unplug phone or other device when finished charging
