Fire prevention experts say people should take a few simple steps before turning on the heat this fall.<\/p>\n
As temperatures drop, homeowners are powering up their electric baseboard, cranking their oil furnaces and lighting their fires.<\/p>\n
Captain John Long with the Liverpool Fire Department says a few precautions can keep people safe as well as warm this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the time of year to change the batteries in your smoke detectors,\u201d said Long. \u201cWe\u2019re getting to the wood burning season so make sure everybody\u2019s cleaning their chimneys before they start that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Long says anyone who isn\u2019t comfortable with heights or doesn\u2019t have the proper equipment should look for help before attempting to clean their own chimney.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can do it yourself if you have the gear but it\u2019s, I\u2019d say better, it\u2019s safer to have somebody else do it, especially somebody that\u2019s trained. They\u2019re going to do a good job and you\u2019re going to be happier for it. I\u2019m not saying don\u2019t do it yourself but if you don\u2019t have the equipment to properly do it, let somebody do it for you,\u201d said Long.<\/p>\n
Many people also like to tidy their yards by raking and burning their leaves.<\/p>\n
Long says to better reduce the chance of those fires getting out of control people should take advantage of the municipality\u2019s yard waste pick up days.<\/p>\n
\u201cBag it up and put it out to the end of the road or if you\u2019ve got a trailer, haul it to Western Head to the Region\u2019s yard waste site. It\u2019s free. It doesn\u2019t cost you anything other than your time. It\u2019s a much better option,\u201d said Long.<\/p>\n
Regardless how your home is heated, Long says having someone who knows what they\u2019re doing come and check out your heating system can give you peace of mind in the cold months ahead.<\/p>\n