Heating equipment, like fireplaces, is the leading cause of fires in homes. You can reduce fire risk and keep your home safe with simple fireplace safety tips and a little maintenance.

Don’t burn paper.

During the holiday season, avoid the temptation to toss used wrapping paper in the fireplace. Burning paper can create floating embers that can ignite possible creosote build up in your chimney. Recycle the wrapping paper if you can. 

Prevent burns. 

Fireplaces are kind of a magical feature in a room. It is understandable that we want to be close to the flickering flames and the warmth. However, that increases the chance of being burnt. Teach children the proper respect for the fireplace. Install safety screens that can help prevent loved ones from  getting a little too close. 

Cap it off.

If your chimney flue doesn’t already have one, you should get a chimney flue cap installed. This will prevent birds and animals from getting inside and causing havoc. They usually aren’t super expensive and a DIYer can probably handle the installation. 

Give it space. 

Be careful to not leave pillows and blankets too close. A good guideline is to keep your stuff at least three feet away from your fireplace. 

Don’t forget accessories.

 Fireplace tools can also be a hazard. Make sure that your tools, matches, and lighters are put safely away after use. Some essential accessories would be a good fire extinguisher, a CO detector, and a smoke detector. Give us a shout to learn about our fire alarms, CO detectors, smoke detectors, and 5 Diamond Certified local monitoring.