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Cleaning chimneys helps prevent fires

November 13, 2007|BRENDA S. EDWARDS

Boyle County firefighters have been called to only one house chimney fire this fall, and the local office of Emergency Management wants that to be the last one.

Chimney fires are the most common fires during winter months and mostly are caused by creosote from green wood in fireplaces.

Lennie Shepperson, of the Danville-Boyle County office of Emergency Management, suggests cleaning chimneys annually, especially when using a fire place or wood-burning stove.

The creosote cooks out of the wood and sticks to chimneys. When there is a build up of the sticky creosote, it catches fire, Shepperson said.

Now also is the time to check smoke alarms and install fresh batteries, Shepperson said. Almost every year, after extinguishing house fires, firefighters find smoke alarms that have dead batteries or no batteries in them, he said. Often, no smoke alarms are in residences.

"Push the red button to activate the alarm at least once a month," he said. Residents should consider installing smoke alarms in attics, garages and basements.

Shepperson said residents also should consider a carbon monoxide detector if they use gas or wood stoves and heaters.

Should there be a fire, families should have a meeting place designated outside the house when evacuating the home.

"Please don't let the loss of a loved one be the result of not having a working smoke alarm or carbon monoxide detector in the hallways outside bedrooms," Shepperson said.

To make children more aware of fire prevention, local fire departments give fire safety programs in schools and remind adults to be more fire conscious each fall in an effort to prevent unnecessary fires.

Get more information about fire prevention by calling Shepperson at (859) 238-1109.

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