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Child safety includes safety from home fires. Fire, fire in YOUR home, is one of the main home based dangers to children.

This time of year many of us are warming ourselves from the January chill and its a great time for you to check your home for maximum fire safety. Fireplaces, space heaters, stoves and furnaces should all be checked and in good working order.

Make sure all smoke detectors are in good working order. Have them on every level of your home. Put fresh batteries in each one and test them. If you have fuel burning systems use carbon monoxide detecors as well.

Furnaces
Have your furnace inspected once a year to ensure that it is in good working condition. Make sure all controls and emergency shutoffs are in proper working condition. Look at the walls and ceiling near the furnace and the chimney line for discolored areas or areas hot to the touch which could mean additional pipe insulation or clearance may be required. Flues and pipe seams should be well supported and free of holes and cracks. Soot along or around seams may be an indicator of a leak.
Keep trash and other combustible materials away from the heating system. If repairs or adjustments are needed always use a qualified furnace repair group. Furnaces are nothing for amateurs to mess around.

Heaters
With electric heaters, be sure not to overload the circuit. Avoid using electrical space heaters in bathrooms or other areas where they may come in contact with water.

Make sure a fuel burning heater has an emergency shut off in case the heater is tipped over and use them with proper room venting. In bedrooms, be sure there is proper ventilation to prevent a buildup of carbon monoxide. Burning fuel (coal, kerosene, or propane) can produce deadly fumes. Keep kerosene, or other flammable liquids stored in approved metal containers, in well ventilated storage areas, outside of the house. When refueling an oil or kerosene unit make sure it is off and cool, avoid overfilling. Refueling should be done outside of the home. Keep young children away from space heaters especially when they are wearing night gowns or other loose clothing that can be easily ignited.

Fireplaces
Do not use flammable liquids to start or accelerate any fire. Keep a glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace opening to prevent embers or sparks from jumping out, unwanted material from going in, and help prevent the possibility of burns to occupants. Keep flammable materials away from your fireplace mantel. A spark from the fireplace could easily ignite theses materials.

Before you go to sleep, be sure your fireplace fire is out. NEVER close your damper with hot ashes in the fireplace. A closed damper will help the fire to heat up again and will force toxic carbon monoxide into the house. If synthetic logs are used, follow the directions on the package. NEVER break a synthetic log apart to quicken the fire or use more than one log at a time. They often burn unevenly, releasing higher levels of carbon monoxide.

Here’s a free checklist for home safety brought to you by COUNTRYFinancial. We partner with them to increase public awareness of fire dangers to children. Their goal is to help more families be fire safe. To us, prevention is the buzzword of the day. CLICK HERE for your tips.

Finally, most fire victims are caught unprepared when disaster hits. Its a good idea to always have an updated list of your personal items in case of a fire. We have a checklist you can download and use to keep track of your belongings. CLICK HERE for your downloadable Checklist Form.

Preston Jones and Joyce Jackson are child safety experts in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA. Keeping Kids Safe is a comprehensive personal safety program covering the full gamut of the things kids need to know today to be safe in their world for their entire lifetime. Their entire APPROACH to total child safety is UNIQUE. One, they teach kids to keep themselves safe. Two, they teach parents to reinforce their safety techniques at home by making families better with safer kids. For more information go to . www.KeepingKidsSafeToday.com.