Fire Marshal Warns of Home Heating Hazards
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WEST JACKSON, Tenn. — The wintry weather conditions and threat of power outages mean you may be looking for ways to warm up your home. Don Friddle, the fire marshal with the Madison County Fire Department says an ice storm, to him, doesn’t necessarily mean freezing temperatures, but more people at risk of fires. “We do see an increase in residential fires as a result of people losing power and switching over to alternative heat sources,” Friddle said. Those sources are stoves, ovens and even charcoal grills. They are hot devices that aren’t supposed to be used as a source of heat. Friddle says if you lose power you can use space heaters run off a generator or kerosene heaters. You can close off and heat just one room, but make sure that area is well ventilated. Friddle says the most important thing you can do is prepare for the worst. “The main thing we want people to do is just stop and think ahead of time: what could go wrong? Odds are they’re putting a good, safe measure in place to stay warm.” Friddle says the best way to prepare right now is make sure your gas heaters are working properly, that you have fuel for any other heat source and check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If you plan to use your fireplace be sure to check for a blockage first. Friddle says carbon monoxide poisoning can be the most dangerous thing you face if your power does go out. “It’s a deadly gas. It’s odorless, colorless, you can’t taste it, see it. It’s very dangerous especially when using supplemental heating,” Friddle said. He also says no matter what you leave running in your home during the cold, do not leave it unattended.
