How to heat homes safely

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) – Heating your home can be a challenge as the temperatures plummet, but experts said many people are taking unneeded risks.

Fires affect many homes each year. Across the country, 45,000 homes suffer from electrical fires each year. Many of those happening during the winter time.

For members of the Wichita Falls Fire Department, that number is way too high and they’re offering some advise to residents.

“First I would tell them to have a plan ready,” Wichita Falls Fire Marshal Cody Melton said.

The WFFD said planning when it comes to safely heating a home in the wintertime is needed. Electrical fires are common in the wintertime. Melton said there are do’s and don’ts keeping you and those around you safe.

“If you have a fireplace, you’ll need to make sure that it’s clean and venting good. If you have a generator it needs to be outside, away from any vents, windows, things like that so we don’t run into the risk of Carbon Monoxide poisoning,” Melton said.

Melton said when the bad freeze happened a few years back, there was an issue with individuals trying to stay warm but they did it the wrong way. The National Fire Protection Association has reported that electrical fires occur from November through March.

“You wanna get a portable heater that has a tip protection so if you knock it over, it shuts off. There’s a lot of good heaters out there. Heater safety has improved greatly through the years. You wanna keep them away from combustion material, installation, things like that can easily heat up and start a fire,” Melton said.

When using a space heater, the NFPA said plugging it directly into a wall outlet and not an surge cord prevents fires. Melton explained why it’s dangerous.

“So-called surge protectors and they eventually overheat and actually start a fire because people use them to extend a plug in a weird spot and they extend it and they plug in a phone, a tv, a portable heater, maybe a refrigerator. Whatever it is and it eventually overloads, and melts that and causes a fire,” Melton said.

Melton said if you have doubts about any electrical issues in your home, it’s best to contact an electrician. He also said now is good time to check your fire alarms and Carbon Monoxide detectors.

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