NUTLEY – We all have something that we dread about winter. For Public Safety Director
Alphonse Petracco and the firefighters in the Nutley Fire Department, it’s the tragedies that result – just about every year, it seems – when people use space heaters to stay warm but fail to take precautions to prevent a fire.
Many people don’t realize how dangerous these common household devices can be. Heating equipment is the leading cause of home fires during December,
January and February and most heating equipment fires involve space heaters.
Space heaters take many forms. They can be fixed or portable. They can be fueled by electricity, wood, gas or kerosene (although the latter are illegal in many places). Even wood stoves and fireplaces are considered space heaters. All pose hazards and all require care.
Research by the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), a non-profit safety advocate, has found that when space heaters are involved in fires, it’s typically because the devices were placed or installed too close to combustible materials, had basic flaws in construction and design or were improperly installed, maintained or fueled.
Space heaters need space – keep them at least three feet (or one meter) from anything that can burn. Turn off the space heater when you leave home or go to sleep. When you buy one, look for models with an automatic shutoff feature and a listing by a testing laboratory.
Rely on professionals to install or inspect any new heater. Follow the manufacture’s instructions when turning a heating device on or off. Make sure any fueled heating device is adequately ventilated, especially gas-fueled devices, which account for the non-fire carbon monoxide deaths involving heating equipment.
If you have a fireplace or wood stove, have your chimney inspected every year and as necessary, have it cleaned. Fires can start in chimneys when there’s a build-up of creosote, the residue of unburned fuel. Use only seasoned hardwood and never burn trash. Keep sparks and embers inside the fireplace with fire screens of heat-tempered glass or sturdy metal.
Of course, we’re trained and ready to fight any fires that occur in Nutley but we would be happier if we could prevent them altogether. When the temperature drops, we hope you’ll stay warm but please stay warm safely.
Alphonse Petracco and the firefighters in the Nutley Fire Department, it’s the tragedies that result – just about every year, it seems – when people use space heaters to stay warm but fail to take precautions to prevent a fire.
Many people don’t realize how dangerous these common household devices can be. Heating equipment is the leading cause of home fires during December,
January and February and most heating equipment fires involve space heaters.
Space heaters take many forms. They can be fixed or portable. They can be fueled by electricity, wood, gas or kerosene (although the latter are illegal in many places). Even wood stoves and fireplaces are considered space heaters. All pose hazards and all require care.
Research by the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), a non-profit safety advocate, has found that when space heaters are involved in fires, it’s typically because the devices were placed or installed too close to combustible materials, had basic flaws in construction and design or were improperly installed, maintained or fueled.
Space heaters need space – keep them at least three feet (or one meter) from anything that can burn. Turn off the space heater when you leave home or go to sleep. When you buy one, look for models with an automatic shutoff feature and a listing by a testing laboratory.
Rely on professionals to install or inspect any new heater. Follow the manufacture’s instructions when turning a heating device on or off. Make sure any fueled heating device is adequately ventilated, especially gas-fueled devices, which account for the non-fire carbon monoxide deaths involving heating equipment.
If you have a fireplace or wood stove, have your chimney inspected every year and as necessary, have it cleaned. Fires can start in chimneys when there’s a build-up of creosote, the residue of unburned fuel. Use only seasoned hardwood and never burn trash. Keep sparks and embers inside the fireplace with fire screens of heat-tempered glass or sturdy metal.
Of course, we’re trained and ready to fight any fires that occur in Nutley but we would be happier if we could prevent them altogether. When the temperature drops, we hope you’ll stay warm but please stay warm safely.
