Firefighters and other emergency personnel want people to be especially careful during these cold winter months as many are turning toward alternative heating sources. Fire departments refer information from local, state, and federal resources to provide fire safety precautions to the public.
Fire departments especially stress the public takes measures to prevent house fires during the holiday season. According to a press release from the U.S. Fire Administration, there are more house fires in the winter months, but less fires overall. Heating equipment is used more and for longer periods of time, increasing the likelihood a house fire will occur.
Local, state, and federal officials urge folks to keep alternative heating sources properly installed, used, and maintained. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, people should burn wood stove fires hot twice per day for about 15 minutes or more to reduce creosote buildup. They also suggest not using too much paper to start and/or maintain a fire, not to use flammable liquids, and not to use charcoal as it can emit carbon monoxide gas, which can be lethal.
To further reduce creating carbon monoxide, FEMA warns people to follow instructions regarding synthetic logs and to not break them up to quicken a fire. They also said to not close the damper to a fireplace when there are still hot ashes burning. Doing so would increase the likelihood that carbon monoxide would get out into the home.
Walter Morris, training program manager for Region Two of the Maine Fire Training and Education, warns folks to keep combustible materials away from heating appliances. Increased use of alternative heating sources is a big concern for Lincoln County firefighters. Waldoboro Deputy Fire Chief Paul Smeltzer is particularly concerned about the use of extension cords.
“Extension cords and Christmas decorations where several things are plugged in at once, can overload the circuitry,” Smeltzer said.
Smeltzer also warns that people should keep combustible material such as bed sheets away from outlets and heat sources. He and other Lincoln County emergency personnel encourage use and maintenance of fire alarms, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
The Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency (LCEMA) received a federal grant, which gave them 250 smoke detectors for towns around the county.
According to LCEMA Deputy Director Kimberly Kaiser, they have been dispersing smoke detectors to all the municipalities in Lincoln County. Municipalities have received 12 smoke detectors to be made available for those families in need, she said.
Kaiser wants everyone to be aware of the “silent killer,” carbon monoxide.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include shortness of breath, flu-like symptoms, nausea, vomiting, headache, and dizziness.
Kaiser suggests people check the batteries in detectors, keep generators outdoors, use space heaters in well-ventilated areas, never leave a car running inside a garage, even with the doors open. She also wants people to not heat their home with gas cooking stoves, dryers, or ovens.
