With Cold Temperatures, Neillsville Fire Chief Offers Do's and Don'ts of Fire Safety

Friday, February 5th, 2021 -- 12:00 PM

With yesterday’s snow storm and bitter cold temperatures forecasted for the next several days, people are going to be looking for ways to stay warm.

But make sure you don’t put yourself at an increased risk of fire danger.  Neillsville Fire Chief Matt Meyer talked about some do’s and don’ts when it comes to fire safety including with space heaters.

Chief Meyer:  “You should only plug one of those heating appliances into a circuit directly with no extension cord.  Keep them 3-5ft away from any flammables.  And you should also have one that if it tips over, it shuts off automatically.”

“For fireplaces, they should have a glass door or, at a minimum, the screens to keep the sparks in.  Always have those closed.”

Question:  “There’s always a danger of snow build up on vents outside leading to carbon monoxide build up; can you talk about that?”

Chief Meyer:  “Yep, that would be with a gas furnace.  Usually those are vented out through a sidewall and those are low to the ground.  With the wind we’re supposed to get, the drifting of the snow can cover those up and that causes your gas heater to not operate properly and cause carbon monoxide in the home.”

Question:  “If that happens, what should people do?”

Chief Meyer:  “They can monitor the vent outside and keep snow away from it.  With carbon monoxide, open up your home and let it air out.  And then call a furnace repairman and make sure there’s nothing inside the furnace that’s going to cause another malfunction.”

Question:  “When it comes to chimneys they need to keep that clean because it can cause a chimney fire, correct?”

Chief Meyer:  “Yep, with wood stoves they should check the pipes coming from the stove itself to the chimney.  Sometimes there can be build up in those.  Sometimes with extreme wind, they’ll actually blow apart so smoke will be going into the home instead of the chimney.  So, keep an eye on those pipes and have the chimney clean frequently.”

“Another big thing with chimneys is when you get this temperature change.  When it’s warmer people burn them slow and there’s more opportunity for build up to occur.  When it’s colder, people are going to burn them harder, which makes more heat, which can ignite that build up and that’s where your chimney fires will start.”

Question:  “I think we should also mention that people need to stick with the typical heating devices to heat their homes.  For example, they should not open the oven door and turn on the oven.”

Chief Meyer:  “Yeah, they shouldn’t do that.  Especially with small children in the home.  They could go past the oven and put their hand in there.  Same thing with a burner on the stove top.”

Question:  “Do you have any other tips?”

Chief Meyer:  “Yeah, a year ago or so we had a fire with people storing their ashes after they remove the ash from their fireplace or woodstove.  They need to put those in a metal container and take those away from the house."

"A lot of people don’t want to carry them a long way away from the house, especially if it’s cold, and set them by the house.  Those ashes can actually burn up to 72 hours in that pail.  It’s best to put them in a metal container, put a lid on them, douse them with water, and take them away from your house.”

“Also, if you need thaw water pipes.  Don’t use a blow torch or propane torch to do it.  People will try that and the next thing they know, the wood around the pipe is on fire.”

“One in every 7 home fires and one in every 5 home fire deaths involve a heating appliance.”

“And with the snow coming and the plowing, if they can keep the hydrant in front of their home clean, that would be great.  We know the city gets around to do it, but they need to keep the streets clean first.  If they could “adopt a hydrant,” we’d appreciate it.  It helps out a lot because it saves us a few minutes if you need water at your home.”

“And, most importantly, make sure you have working smoke alarms and an escape plan if there is a fire.”

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.