Menu

City News Room

Winter Header

Cold Weather Safety Tips

The Fargo Fire Department would like to offer up some important safety tips with the extreme cold weather coming.

12/28/2017

The Fargo Fire Department would like to offer up some important safety tips with the extreme cold weather coming. With the temperatures forecast to dip below -20 degrees, extra precautions should be taken in the coming days.

  • Keep sewer and dryer vents from freezing over or plugging.
  • Check on elderly or home bound neighbors that may need extra assistance.
  • Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or other space heater.
  • Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
  • Never use your oven to heat your home.
  • Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
  • Test smoke alarms monthly.
  • Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
  • Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to prevent sparks from flying into the room and burn only dry, seasoned wood. Allow ashes to cool before disposing in a metal container, which is kept a safe distance from the home.
  • Install and maintain carbon monoxide (CO) alarms to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
  • Make sure all fuel-burning equipment is vented to the outside to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
  • Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.

Visit the Fargo Fire Department at www.fargofire.com for more information.