10 Tips To Keep Cozy Fires Safe: Hillsborough

TAMPA, FL – While the rest of the country may scoff at building a fire when it gets below 70 degrees, many Floridians love getting the chance to build a cozy wintertime fire just as much as the next person.

With the temperatures hitting the 30s over the weekend, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue wants to make sure area residents stay safe when they gather around the hearth.

Fire Rescue and the National Fire Protection Association offer the following 10 tips to ensure a safe and happy wintertime around the fire:

1. Have the chimney cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional
2. Make sure a flue or damper is open before starting a fire; the opening draws smoke out of a building
3. Use a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room; cool ashes before putting them in a metal container and dispose a safe distance from any building
4. Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in every bedroom and in hallways leading to bedrooms
5. Keep anything that can burn at lead 3 feet away from a fireplace or other indoor heating equipment like a furnace, wood stove or portable space heater
6. Keep a 3-foot “kid-free zone” around fireplaces and fire pits
7. Position a fire pit at least 10 feet away from any structure, combustible material or neighboring yard
8. Do not put a fire pit directly on a wooden deck or grass, or beneath eaves or low-hanging tree branches; place fire pits on a non-flammable surface such as concrete or patio blocks
9. Burn only dry, aged wood; generally, hardwoods such as uncured oak are maple are preferred
10. Never leave an active fireplace or fire pit unattended

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue offers these other tips to stay safe:

• Don’t use an oven to heat a house
• Install wood-burning stoves following manufacturer’s instructions or have a professional do it
• All fuel-burning equipment should be vented to the outside to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning
• If a gas smell is apparent in a gas heater, do not light the appliance; leave the home immediately and call the fire department or the gas company

For more information, visit http://hcflgov.net/en/government/departments/fire or www.nfpa.org.

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