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Thursday, October 24, 2019

State Fire Marshal Reminds Residents About Heat Source Safety

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State Fire Marshal Reminds Residents About Heat Source Safety

Space heater
STATEWIDE, October 24, 2019 -  State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci is reminding residents to use best practices when heating their homes as temperatures continue to drop. Heating equipment is involved in one out of every five home fire-related deaths, and half of all home heating fires will occur during the months of December, January, and February. 
"Like clockwork, my office will report to a fire in the coming months as a result of a space heater or fireplace," said Fire Marshal Geraci. "It is my life's work to eliminate home fire deaths, a mission that every Maryland resident can help us to achieve by using best practices when it comes to heating their homes this fall and winter."
For homeowners with fireplaces, be sure to have a qualified professional clean and inspect your chimney and vents annually. Store cooled ashes in a tightly covered metal container and keep it outside at least 10 feet from you home and any other structure. 
For homeowners utilizing portable space heaters, please follow the advice below to ensure safe use:
  • Only use a portable heater that has a qualified testing laboratory seal.
  • Keep the heater at least three feet away from anything that can burn, including people.
  • Use a heater with a thermostat and overheating protection. 
  • Make sure the heater has an automatic shut-off in the event that it is tipped over.
  • Keep children away from space heaters and do not allow it to block an exit.
  • Plug the heater into a grounded wall outlet only, never to an extension cord.
  • Turn the heater off whenever you leave the room or before going to sleep.
It is paramount that you never use your oven as a heat source and that you have working carbon monoxide alarms that are tested monthly. In the event of a power outage, all portable generators should be located as far away from your home as possible, especially away from windows. Remember, it is better to be safe and stay at another location - such as a family member or friend's house, a motel, or local shelter - then to use risky practices to alternatively heat your home when the main heat source isn't functioning. 
For more information about home fire safety, visit NFPA.org or USFA.FEMA.gov.  

Heater Safety

The Office of the State Fire Marshal is an agency of the Department of State Police dedicated to helping protect citizens from fire and explosion through a comprehensive program of education, inspection, investigation and fire protection engineering.  For more information on fire safety call 1-800-525-3124, log onto our website at: Maryland State Fire Marshal and/or our Facebook Page.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'v been using oil filled radiator style heaters for years to warm up rooms that don't get enough heat or to keep a bathroom from freezing. NEVER had an issue. They are MUCh safer than the other kind of heaters: kerosene, forced air, etc.
I'm not sure why they are using them as the example of fire hazards.

Anonymous said...

Reaching the most vulnerable with these warnings is a big part of the problem.

Anonymous said...

6:18 same thing with me. I did have a couple that stopped heating so I just replaced them with new heaters.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
I'v been using oil filled radiator style heaters for years to warm up rooms that don't get enough heat or to keep a bathroom from freezing. NEVER had an issue. They are MUCh safer than the other kind of heaters: kerosene, forced air, etc.
I'm not sure why they are using them as the example of fire hazards.

October 25, 2019 at 6:18 AM

"I'm not sure why they are using them as the example of fire hazards."

Ummm... Maybe because they actually caused fires?? DUH!!

Anonymous said...

Only if the cord gets hot, that is the only danger from an oil filled radiator heater. Anybody that uses one should feel of the cord from time to time up close to the receptacle to see if it is getting hot. This also goes for all portable electric heaters.