Bainbridge Public Safety wants to keep you safe and warm this winter.  As temperatures drop into the 20's this week, area residents will be turning up their heat.  What many may not realize is that turning up the heat can increase the risk of home heating fires.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), nearly half of all home-heating fires occur during the winter months. The latest NFPA research shows that heating equipment was involved in 62,200 reported U.S. home structure fires in 2005, with associated losses of 670 civilian deaths, 1,550 civilian injuries, and $909 million in direct property damage.

"While these numbers are frightening, nearly all of these fires are preventable," stated Fire Chief Dennis Mock. "We can reduce the number of home heating fires in our community by taking some simple precautions and using heating equipment properly."

The City of Bainbridge recommends some simple home heating safety tips to help keep our community safe this winter.

• Space heaters need space.
  Keep all things that can burn, such as paper, bedding or furniture, at least 3 feet away from heating equipment.
• Turn portable heaters off when you go to bed or leave the room.
• Plug portable heaters only into outlets with sufficient capacity and never use an extension cord.
• Inspect wires for cracked, frayed, broken plugs or loose connections and replace before using.
• Have your chimney inspected each year and cleaned if necessary.
• Use a sturdy fireplace screen.
• Allow fireplace ashes to cool before disposing and use a metal container.
• Install smoke alarms
  in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. For the best protection, interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home so when one sounds, they all sound. Test your alarms at least once a month.
• Install and maintain a carbon monoxide alarm in a central location outside each sleeping area.
• Never use an oven to heat your home.

Chief Mock Installing Smoke Alarm

Free Smoke Alarms
Bainbridge Public Safety will also install free smoke alarms for any resident in the City of Bainbridge. Public Safety will also inspect and test your existing smoke alarms and replace your batteries if needed.

Contact Bainbridge Public Safety at 229-248-2032 and set up a date and time.

We need to prevent any home heating fires during this winter season.