National Fire Prevention Week – Keeping Your Fireplace Safe
National Fire Prevention Week is upon us. If you are unaware of Fire Prevention Week, it is an annual event that has been with us since 1925. It was created to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire and was the brainchild of the Fire Marshal’s Association of North America, a branch of the National Fire Prevention Association. Calvin Coolidge threw the weight of the Oval Office behind the event by issuing a presidential proclamation. Since then, it has brought awareness to various fire issues. This year is no different, with the theme “Charge Into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home.” Like lithium-ion batteries, your fireplace and chimney are also potential fire hazards. In the spirit of National Fire Prevention, we would like to emphasize the importance of keeping your fireplace and chimney safe and sound. Here are some tips on how to enjoy your fireplace while keeping your house safe.
Have Your Chimney Serviced and Inspected During National Fire Prevention Week
Hiring a qualified chimney sweep service to inspect and sweep your chimney is crucial to the safety of your fireplace and chimney. It should be performed at least once a year, or every few months if you use your fireplace more frequently than the average home. What happens if you don’t? The logs burned in your fireplace can produce a sticky, easily ignited substance called creosote. Why is that important? Creosote will coat your chimney’s interior, increasing the chance of a chimney fire. Each time you burn logs in your fireplace, the creosote will accumulate in your chimney, making a chimney fire a certainty. A Chimney Safety Institute of America-certified, experienced, and dependable chimney sweep service can inspect and sweep your chimney and prevent chimney fires.
Buy a Fire Extinguisher For National Fire Prevention Week
A great way to protect your home from fires ignited by your fireplace or other fire hazards is to have a fire extinguisher by your fireplace. If a fire in the fireplace becomes a conflagration, or embers dance out of the fireplace like they were in the Nutcracker (see below), you will be able to control it quickly. When it comes to total household safety, it is wise to have a fire extinguisher in every room.
Use Screens to Keep Fire from Escaping Your Fireplace
Another way you can celebrate National Fire Prevention Week is to buy a screen for your fireplace. Embers have a tendency to leap out of a fireplace and onto anything ignitable in the room. Things like curtains, sofas, chairs, tables, or even aged hardwood floors are all susceptible to being set ablaze by embers. Be sure your furniture is three feet back from your fireplace or more; it will protect the furniture in your room from catching on fire. The best way to prevent embers from starting a fire is by putting the screen directly in front of your fireplace to contain white hot projectiles. It is also the best way (aside from fireplace doors) to keep your pets and children from getting burned.
Replace the Batteries in Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors Frequently
It is important to make sure that your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are ready to do their job, so replace the batteries frequently. Installing new batteries in your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors is taking the right step towards keeping your house, pets, and loved ones Safe. If you don’t have any smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, go buy some right away; they could save your life.
Wood Is the Only Thing That Should Be Burned in Your Fireplace
Only burn seasoned wood in your fireplace; it may make you and your family sick. When you burn painted or treated wood, toxic fumes will fill the room your fireplace is in, and may cause a trip to the hospital or worse. Never burn treated wood, plastics, and other non-organic items in your fireplace.
The wood you put in your fireplace should be seasoned for a better fire. Green (or uncured) wood will produce overpowering smoke, billowing into the room where your fireplace is located, and forcing out fresh air.
Make the Most of Fire Prevention Week
If you follow these proven fire safety tips for your fireplace, chimney, and home, then you can enjoy your fireplace knowing you’ve made it safe.
Hudson Valley Chimney Knows Fireplace and Chimney Safety
If you need a CSIA-certified chimney sweep service to inspect and service your fireplace and chimney to give you the peace of mind that they are safe, look no further than Hudson Valley Chimney. Contact us today, and we will be happy to discuss chimney safety with you.
