TWIN FALLS, Idaho — As the temperatures start to drop here in southern Idaho the risk of a house fire increases. Checking your smoke alarms and taking the proper steps to protect yourself and your home are key to making it through a rough winter without an incident.
- One common cause of house fires this time of year is the use of portable space heaters.
- The easiest precaution you can take to keep yourself safe from a fire is maintaining smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
- The American Red Cross has a new program called ‘Sound the Alarm. Save a Life’ which helps those who might need a little assistance.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
With cooler fall weather settling in, renters, homeowners, and landlords across the Magic Valley are finding ways to stay warm.
But as you dust off those space heaters, wood stoves, and fireplaces, the Twin Falls Fire Department says now is the time to get seasonal inspections.
"As the cold comes in, we want to start using those chimneys and wood stoves — we want to make sure we're getting those cleaned and inspected at least once a year. We want to make sure that the build-up of creosote and soot inside isn't there and that the flue and shaft is in good working order," said Twin Falls Fire Marshal Gabriel Hammett.
One common cause of house fires this time of year is the use of portable space heaters in small areas.
"When we get those heaters out, any heat source, we want to make sure we keep a distance of about three feet or 36 inches," said Hammett. “Sometimes the old ones aren't built to today's safety standards and if you're going out and buying new heating equipment we want to make sure that it is 'listed equipment'; ULFM listed type equipment, because those will come with tip-over shut-off protection, overheat protection, things like that that the new technology has and that keeps our homes safe when using those portable heaters."
The easiest precaution you can take to keep yourself safe from a fire is maintaining smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
"The main thing we need to remember with smoke alarms is we need to have a smoke alarm in every bedroom and combination detectors which is smoke and carbon monoxide outside of the living quarters, like in a hallway. We need to make sure we're changing out those batteries at least twice a year and we want to test those detectors once a month," added Hammett.
For those who might not be able to check, test, or install their own alarms, the American Red Cross has a new program called ‘Sound the Alarm. Save a Life,’ with the goal of helping those who might need a little assistance.
"One of the things we're really trying to is make people safer and the number one thing that can make you safer from a home fire is working smoke alarms in the home. So, we work with local partners and local fire department to go out and install free smoke alarms and also work with families and help them develop a fire escape plan so that they can practice with every member of their household,” said Matt Ochsner, Communications Director for the American Red Cross of Idaho, Montana, and eastern Oregon.
Beyond the Red Cross 'Sound the Alarm Program', the Twin Falls Fire Department is always there to lend a helping hand. The best way to get assistance is to contact your local fire station directly or dial 311.
If you would like to learn more about the Red Cross ‘Sound the Alarm. Save a Life’ program, click here.
