Clark County's Emergency Managment Director Talks Winter Weather, Part 3
Wednesday, February 11th, 2015 -- 11:04 AM
-With our area being right in the middle of a Wisconsin Winter, it's a good idea for people to be prepared for extreme conditions.John Ross, Clark County's Emergency Management Director, talked about the safety tips you should follow if you're going to try and heat your home with an alternative heat source.
He said, "One of the first things you should do, at home, is to make sure your chimney is clear. Another thing is, with furnaces you'll have an air intake or an external vent on the furnace. Make sure those are free of ice and snow. If they get plugged up, you could have issues with: a.) a failure of your furnace or b.) a potential carbon monoxide build up in your home and we don't want that to happen. Make sure you have a working carbon monoxide detector and smoke detector in your home."
"If you do need to use an alternative sources of heat, don't use things like a grill. Some people have used that before. These torpedo type heaters that run on kerosene or fuel oil, don't run them in the house. You run the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning along with a fire. Electric heaters, make sure you keep them away from combustible materials. Make sure the cords are in good repair. Make sure the cords are in a spot where people won't trip on them and possible tip the heater over. Don't run any type of a gas or fuel type heater in the house."
"If your power goes out and you have a generator, don't run that in the house. Make sure it's outside in that well ventilated area. Because, again, it is a gas engine, carbon monoxide could be a threat to your safety if you run it in an enclosed area or the house and that would include the garage."
If you'd like to see more winter weather safety tips, you can visit ReadyWisconsin's website.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.