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• Holiday Gift Guide • December 5, 2012
378139.120711 CR HGG
Visit our website - www.clackamasfire.com
Fireplaces
• Before lighting any fire, remove all greens,
boughs, papers, and other decorations from
fireplace area. Check to see that flue is
open.
•Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace.
A flash fire may result as wrappings ignite
suddenly and burn intensely.
Chimney
• Chimney maintenance is vital to your
family’s safety.
• Have your chimney inspected by a certified
chimney sweep and cleaned on a regular
basis. When possible, burn seasoned woods
(dryness of the wood is more important
than hard wood versus soft wood). Smaller,
hotter fires will burn more completely and
produce less smoke than larger fires. Do not
burn cardboard boxes or trash, as they can
spark a chimney fire. Install stovepipe
thermometers, which help monitor flue
temperatures where wood stoves are in use,
then adjust burning practices as needed.
Portable Heaters
• Give heaters space. Put at least 36 inches of
empty space between the heater and
everything else, like furniture, curtains,
papers and people.
• Vacuum and clean the dust and lint from all
heaters. A buildup of dust and lint can cause
a fire.
• Check the cord on portable electric heaters.
If the cord gets hot, frayed or cracked have
the heater serviced.
• Never use extension cords with portable
electric heaters; it is a common cause of fires.
• Turn off portable heaters when family
members leave the house or are sleeping.
• An adult should always be present when a
space heater is used around children.
• Make sure your portable electric heater is
UL approved and has a tip-over shut off
function.
Woodstove and
Fireplace Safety
• Have a certified chimney sweep clean and
inspect your chimney and fireplace for
creosote build-up, cracks, crumbling bricks
and obstructions.
• Place fireplace or wood stove ashes outdoors
in a covered metal container at least three
feet away from anything that burns.
• A flue fire can ruin your chimney or
stovepipe. To prevent flue fires, burn dry,
well-seasoned wood. Burn small, hot fires.
Don’t burn trash.
• Always use a fireplace screen made of sturdy
metal or heat-tempered glass to prevent
sparks from escaping. (If children are
present, use a special child-guard screen as
a barrier for your woodstove.)
Smoke Alarms and
Home Escape Plans
• Working smoke alarms alert you to a fire and
more than double your chances of surviving
a fire. In a fire, minutes could mean the
difference between life and death.
• Install smoke alarms in every home, on every
level, outside each sleeping area and in each
bedroom.
• Test and vacuum your smoke alarms each
month to make sure they are working.
• Smoke alarms ten years old or older need to
be replaced with new units.
• When the smoke alarm sounds, get out fast!
• Plan your escape; know two ways out of
every room.
• Practice your escape plan with your whole
family at least twice a year.
Winter Fire Safety
407631.113012 O
Give your brain a break.
When you drive your car –
park your phone.
www.oregonimpact.org
•
You’re four times
It’s hard to
more likely to have
concentrate on
a road accident
two things
when you’re on
at the same time.
a mobile phone.
•