Check heat before next cold weather
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com

Trying to stay warm can be dangerous.

As winter slowly approaches with temperatures dropping again Tuesday night, thoughts of firing up home heating systems are beginning to race through the minds of El Campoans.

With the toasty warm heat of a forced air system or roaring fire place, homeowners increase the possibility of a home fire - especially if precautions aren't taken first.

El Campo Fire Marshal Larry Staff recommends every heating system be checked yearly as well as chimneys.

On fireplaces, use a glass or metal screen to prevent sparks from igniting carpets or other furniture.

Space heaters can be extremely dangerous if not checked regularly.

Because of the danger of leakage, a rubber hose should not be used on the small, but powerful heaters. Flexible metal hose is much safer.

All combustibles should be kept at least three feet away from space heaters, Staff said.

The value of smoke detectors should never be underestimated, he added.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports smoke detectors in 20 percent (16 million) of the households it surveyed were not working, mostly because the battery was dead or missing.

Fire is the second leading cause of unintentional death in the home. In Texas, 69 percent of fire fatalities occur in residential fires.

No detectors were present in over half of those fatal fires and at least 13 percent of those present did not operate. Smoke detectors can save lives.

In addition to smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors are important to have in any home with a gas appliance.