Hudgens Offers Home Heating Safety Tips

With cold weather having arrived, Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Ralph Hudgens wants to remind Georgians of some heating tips to help keep their homes and families safe this winter.

Those tips include keeping portable space heaters, open fireplaces, and wood stoves away from curtains, draperies, and other flammable material; making sure heaters have adequate ventilation and always following the manufacturer’s operating instructions, having home heating units checked annually to be sure they are working efficiently and safely, making sure all fuel-burning appliances are properly vented, and making sure kerosene space heaters have an automatic shut-off in case it tips over.

Also, Hudgens said people need to install an adequate number of smoke alarms.

He said most fatal fires start between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., while a family is asleep and the advance warning of a smoke alarm may mean the difference between life and death.

According to Hudgens, nine out of 10 fire victims are already dead before the fire department is even called, mainly from smoke and toxic gases.

He added that for those who already have smoke alarms, don’t forget to replace the batteries annually.

Finally, Hudgens said families should have a household escape plan.

So far this year, 133 people have died in fires in Georgia.

Hudgens said year after year the state has seen the rate of fire deaths in Georgia accelerate during the winter months, adding that many of these fatal fires are caused by careless use of home heating equipment, particularly portable space heaters.