Fire officials say don’t forget safety

BB&T Southeastern Regional President Phil Marion

BB&T Southeastern Regional President Phil Marion

Higher heating prices have prompted concerns that homeowners may opt to use cheaper heating alternatives such as wood-burning stoves, space heaters and fireplaces which can present fire hazards if not used properly.

According to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the number of accidental fires causing injury and death go up during the winter months, partially due to the use of heating elements in the home. For this reason, the fire marshal is reminding homeowners to use care.

“Make it a rule to test your home smoke alarms before using your space heater or fireplace,” said Tennessee Fire Marshal Paula Flowers. “All smoke alarms should be tested each month. It could save your life.”

For those using space heaters, Flowers pointed to the name itself as a safety rule of thumb.

“Space heaters need space,” Flowers said. “Never put a space heater within three feet of anything combustible. This includes things like bedding, furniture of aerosol cans.”

Flowers suggests buying heaters which have been tested by an independent testing lab, which will be marked on the unit, and items with automatic shutoffs.

As for fireplaces, Flowers said to make sure the chimney is clean and free of obstruction before lighting any fire. Most accidental fireplace fires are caused by debris built up inside of chimneys. No open flame should ever be left unattended in a home.

The 10 states with the highest number of deaths per million residents from fire, flames or smoke in 2001: