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Indoor Winter Safety
Heat your Home wisely
If you plan to use a wood stove, fireplace, or space heater, be extremely careful. Follow the manufacturer's instructions as well as these safety tips:
- Store a multipurpose, dry chemical fire extinguisher near the area to be heated.
- Have your fireplace inspected and cleaned annually.
- Do not burn paper in a fireplace.
- Ensure adequate ventilation if you must use a kerosene heater.
- Use only the type of fuel your heater is designed to use -- don't substitute.
- If your heater has a damaged electrical cord or produces sparks, don't use it.
- Use fireplaces, wood stoves, and other combustion heaters only if they are properly vented to the outside. Make sure there are no leaks in the exhaust pipe.
- Do not place a space heater near things that may catch on fire, such as drapes, furniture, or bedding.
- Keep children away from space heaters and other heating units.
Lighting and Cooking Safety
If there is a power failure:
- Use battery-powered flashlights or lanterns rather than candles, if possible.
- Never leave lit candles unattended.
- Never use a charcoal grill indoors -- the fumes are deadly.
- If you must use a small, portable gas camp stove indoors, be sure to:
- use adequate ventilation; and
- cook several feet away from drapes, furniture or other items that can catch on fire.
Conserve Heat
You may need fresh air coming in for your heater or for emergency cooking arrangements. But if you don't need extra ventilation, keep as much heat as possible inside your home. Avoid unnecessary opening of doors or windows. Close off unneeded rooms, stuff towels or rags in cracks under doors and close draperies or cover windows with blankets at night.
Monitor Temperature
Infants less than one year old should never sleep in a cold room because (1) infants lose body heat more easily than adults; and (2) unlike adults, infants can't make enough body heat by shivering. Provide warm clothing and a blanket for infants and try to maintain a warm indoor temperature. If the temperature cannot be maintained, make temporary arrangements to stay elsewhere. In an emergency, you can keep an infant warm using your own body heat. If you must sleep, take precautions to prevent rolling on the baby. Pillows and other soft bedding can also present a risk of smothering; remove them from the area near the baby.
Older adults often make less body heat because of a slower metabolism and less physical activity. If you are more than 65 years of age, check the temperature in your home often during severely cold weather. Also, check on elderly friends and neighbors frequently to ensure that their homes are adequately heated.
Keep A Water Supply
Extreme cold can cause water pipes in your home to freeze and sometimes rupture. When very cold temperatures are expected:
- Leave all water taps slightly open so they drip continuously.
- Keep the indoor temperature warm.
- Improve the circulation of heated air near pipes. For example, open kitchen cabinet doors beneath the kitchen sink.
If your pipes do freeze, do not thaw them with a torch. Instead, thaw them slowly by directing the warm air from an electric hair dryer onto the pipes.
If you cannot thaw your pipes, or the pipes are ruptured, use bottled water or get water from a neighbor's home. As an emergency measure -- if no other water is available -- snow can be melted for water. Bringing water to a rolling boil for one minute will kill most microorganisms or parasites that may be present, but won't remove chemical pollutants sometimes found in snow.
Eat and Drink Wisely
Eating well-balanced meals will help you stay warmer. Do not drink alcoholic beverages -- they cause your body to lose heat more rapidly. Instead, drink warm, sweet beverages such as hot chocolate or sweetened coffee or tea to help maintain your body temperature. If you have any dietary restrictions, ask your doctor.
Prepare Your Home for Winter
Although periods of extreme cold cannot always be predicted far in advance, weather forecasts can sometimes provide you with several days' notice. Listen to weather forecasts regularly, and check your emergency supplies whenever a period of extreme cold is predicted.
If you plan to use a fireplace or wood stove for emergency heating, have your chimney or flue inspected each year. Ask your local fire department to recommend an inspector or find one in the yellow pages of your telephone directory under "chimney cleaning."
Also, if you'll be using a fireplace, wood stove or kerosene heater, install a smoke detector and a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector near the area to be heated. Test them monthly, and replace batteries twice yearly.
Smoke Alarms
January and February are the leading months for home fires and fire deaths. Some of the more common sources of home fires include smoking while drowsy or under the influence of alcohol, cooking while under the influence of alcohol, use of space and portable heaters, faulty house wiring, and children intentionally or unintentionally setting fires.
To avoid these risks:
- Avoid smoking in the home altogether. Do not smoke while in bed or sitting on upholstered furniture.
- Have your heating systems inspected and cleaned once a year.
- Keep space and portable heaters at least three feet away from furniture, beds, clothing, walls and other things that can burn. Use a screen to prevent children from being burned.
- Never leave a fireplace unattended and use a fireplace screen.
- Keep lighters and matches out of children’s reach, up high, preferably in a locked cabinet
Most home fire deaths occur at night while people are sleeping. Contrary to popular belief, people will not wake up to the smell of smoke. The gases emitted by the fire will cause unconsciousness. The only sure way to be alerted to a fire in the home is a smoke alarm. Tips on alarms:
- Install one smoke alarm for every level of the home including the basement. Install alarms in each bedroom and in the hall outside of the bedrooms.
- Replace any alarm that is more than ten years old with smoke alarms containing 10-year lithium batteries.
- Check the alarm at least once a month by pushing the test button to make sure it is working. Note: smoke alarms with the 10-year lithium batteries have to be checked each month to make sure that the alarm is working.
- Clean the alarm’s air vents by using a vacuum cleaner. This can be done without removing the cover.
When cooking fumes or steam set off the alarm, wave a towel in front of the alarm to stop the sound. Do not remove the battery—change the location of the smoke alarm.
- Have the family practice a plan to escape from the home. Plan two ways out of every room, crawl low, and when everyone gets outside, meet at a common spot like the mailbox. Teach children “stop, drop and roll” in the event that their clothes catch on fire.
Your ability to feel a change in temperature decreases with age and older people are more susceptible to health problems caused by cold. If you are more than 65 years old, place an easy-to-read thermometer in an indoor location where you will see it frequently and check the temperature of your home often during the winter months. Insulate any water lines that run along exterior walls so your water supply will be less likely to freeze. To the extent possible, weatherproof your home by adding weather-stripping, insulation, insulated doors and storm windows or thermal-pane windows.
Winter Survival Kit For Your Home
Keep several days' supply of these items:
- Food that needs no cooking or refrigeration, such as bread, crackers, cereal, canned foods and dried fruits. Remember baby food and formula if you have young children.
- Water stored in clean containers or purchased, bottled water -- in case your water pipes freeze and rupture -- 5 gallons per person.
- Medicines that any family member may need.
If your area is prone to long periods of cold temperatures, or if your home is isolated, stock additional amounts of food, water and medicine.
Plan Ahead
Prepare for extremely cold weather every winter -- it's always a possibility. There are steps you can take in advance for greater wintertime safety in your home and in your car.
Emergency supplies list:
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