With the arrival of the winter cold and stormy weather, warmth and safety becomes a natural priority for any home for both adults and children alike. If one overlooks simple precautions during a time when injuries and deaths are most likely, things can turn critical in a hurry and as statistics shows that hypothermia and damage caused due to heating equipment are the reasons for almost one-third of the deaths during the winter season.

So, here are a few tips that can help keep you and your family safe and warm during these months:

1) Ensure that heating equipment is installed safely, while hiring a specialist to check the equipment just before the start of the winter season.
2) Check and clean your fireplace chimney and flue every year, while only using untreated wood. DON’T use pine wood or paper as options.
3) Install a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm near bedrooms and on each floor of the house. Check the batteries used for the smoke alarm regularly. If either of these alarms goes off, leave the house immediately for fresh air and call emergency services and your doctor (for the latter) for help.
4) Keep space heaters at least three feet away from any item that is inflammable such as clothing, furniture and bedding.
5) NEVER leave a pet or a child unsupervised in a room with a space heater. It can cause severe burns if tipped over by the child or the pet.
6) NEVER use your oven or range to heat your home.
7) Finally, keep supplies that are needed such as food, water and blanket in case of natural disasters and power outages.

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