Space Heater Safety Tips

Colder weather has come to Massachusetts, and most of us are thinking about turning the heat on, if we haven’t already. For many of us, if our furnace doesn’t completely do the trick we supplement with space heaters. While space heaters can be very useful, they are also a fire risk if not used carefully. 32% of home heating fires are caused by space heaters, and 80% of home heating fire deaths involve space heaters. Here are a few major things to know when using your space heater.

• Never leave your space heater running while you are asleep or away from home.
• Make sure the space heater is at least 3 feet away from anything that can burn (curtains, couches, clothing, beds)
• Plug the heater directly into an outlet, not into an extension cord
• Keep the space heater away from children and animals.
• Make sure you have working smoke alarms on every level of your home. Daylight savings is a great time to change the batteries out on your existing alarm because you can do it very year at the same time. The alarms themselves should be changed out every 5-10 years depending on the specific device.