Each year fire claims the lives of 4,000 Americans, injures tens of thousands, and causes billions of dollars worth of damage. People living in rural areas are more than twice as likely to die in a fire than those living in mid-sized cities or suburban areas. The misuse of wood stoves, portable space heaters and kerosene heaters are especially common risks in rural areas.

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) believes rural fire problems can be reduced by teaching people to recognize the hazards. By following some of the outlined precautionary steps, individuals can greatly reduce their chances of becoming a fire casualty.

Wood Stoves

Wood stoves cause over 9,000 residential fires every year. Carefully follow the manufacturer's installation and maintenance instructions. Look for solid construction, such as plate steel or cast iron metal. Check for cracks and inspect legs, hinges and door seals for smooth joints and seams. Use only seasoned wood for fuel, not green wood, artificial logs, or trash. Inspect and clean your pipes and chimneys annually and check monthly for damage or obstructions. Be sure to keep combustible objects at least three feet away from your wood stove.

Fireplaces

Fireplaces regularly build up creosote in their chimneys. They need to be cleaned out frequently and chimneys should be inspected for obstructions and cracks to prevent deadly chimney and roof fires. Check to make sure the damper is open before starting any fire. Never burn trash, paper or green wood in your fireplace. These materials cause heavy creosote buildup and are difficult to control. Use a screen heavy enough to stop rolling logs and big enough to cover the entire opening of the fireplace to catch flying sparks. Don't wear loose-fitting clothes near any open flame. Make sure the fire is completely out before leaving the house or going to bed. Store cooled ashes in a tightly sealed metal container outside the home.

Finally, having a working smoke alarm dramatically increases your chances of surviving a fire. And remember to practice a home escape plan frequently with your family.

Fallen snow and snow removal from streets, driveways and sidewalks can obstruct obvious items such as fire hydrants, but obstructs other items as well. Snow may now obstruct vents for furnaces, water heaters and gas meters, causing these items to malfunction. Plugged intake and exhaust vents in direct vent appliances such as high efficiency furnaces may cause these appliances to shut down. Partially clogged vents or intakes may cause these appliances to burn inefficiently, possibly creating dangerous carbon monoxide in a structure.

What you can do for your safety and at the same time, assist the Lawrenceville Fire Company or your local Fire Department:

REMOVE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS FROM FIRE HYDRANTS

Once a fire hydrant is located, it takes an average of six minutes to shovel the snow from a hydrant to access it. Most fire engines hold enough water to operate a standard fire hose used for residential fires for three or four minutes. Since it takes longer to shovel out a fire hydrant, firefighters may be forced to abandon their firefighting tasks and the fire, in all probability, will increase in size, creating more fire damage.

Misdirected snow from snow blowing, snow shoveling, and snowplowing operations may be blocking the vents for your direct vent furnace, direct vent water heater or your clothes dryer. Check the exterior of your house and make sure that these vents are clear of snow and ice. Snow- or ice-clogged vents may result in appliance malfunction, appliance shut down, and can even lead to incomplete combustion which may allow deadly carbon monoxide to be introduced into your home.

Misdirected snow removal operations may be interfering with the correct operation of your natural gas meter. A snow-covered natural gas meter makes it difficult to locate for service or to shut off the natural gas supply to a house in an emergency. WE Energies and the North Shore Fire Department recommends that ice and snow be carefully removed from the meter to ensure normal operation of your natural gas meter and ensure that the meter can be easily located and operated for normal service or in an emergency situation.

Thank you for helping keep our community safe.