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-Information courtesy the Henderson Fire Department

With cold weather in mind, the Henderson Fire Department has provided the following tips, courtesy of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), to keep residents safe and warm during the winter freeze:

1. Furnaces should be inspected and serviced by a qualified professional at least once a year.
2. Chimney and vents should be cleaned and inspected by a qualified professional at least once a year. Creosote build-up is the leading cause of chimney fires.
3. Wood for the fireplace or a wood stove should be dry, seasoned wood.
4. Fireplace screens should be metal or heat-tempered glass in good condition and secure.
5. A covered ready-to-use metal container to dispose of cooled ashes should be available but kept 10 feet from the home or other buildings.
6. Teach children to stay at least three feet away from the fireplace, wood/pellet stove, oil stove or space heater.
7. Portable space heaters should have an automatic shut-off.
8. Portable space heaters should be plugged directly into an outlet – never an extension cord – and placed at least three feet from anything that can burn. Place notes throughout your home to remind you to turn off heaters when you go to bed or leave a room.
9. Test your smoke alarms to ensure they are working. You need smoke alarms on every level of the house, inside each sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area. For the best protection, the smoke alarms should be interconnected so that when one sounds, they all sound.
10. Test your carbon monoxide alarms to ensure they are working. Carbon monoxide alarms should be located outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home.

For more information on fire safety, please visit www.nfpa.org.