Fireplace Safety

There's nothing quite as cozy as a warm, crackling fire in the fireplace. But if you don't take some simple safety precautions, that fire could turn deadly. More than 6,000 people end up in emergency rooms for injuries associated with fireplaces and
fireplace equipment... and most of the injuries occured with children under five years old.

Approximately 14,000 house fires each year are started by fireplaces. Most of these fires escalated beyond the fireplace because of an overloaded fire, damage to the fireplace such as missing bricks, obstructed flues, ignition of nearby combustibles,
and flying sparks.

Keep your family safe and warm by following these fireplace safety tips:

• Inspect the fireplace. Make sure it has adequate protective linings and smoke ducts. Check to see that the chimney is clear and in good repair.
• Have chimneys inspected annually, and cleaned as necessary, by a CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America) Certified Chimney Sweep. This reduces the risk of fires and carbon monoxide poisonings due to creosote buildup or obstructions in the chimneys. To locate a certified sweep, visit the CSIA Web site at www.csia.org or call 1-800-536-0118. A certified sweep can also perform maintenance on your wood stove or help remove gas logs from a fireplace.
• Keep the top of chimneys clear of tree limbs or debris.
• Install a chimney cap to keep debris and animals out of the chimney.
• Always open the damper before lighting the fire and keep it open until the ashes are cool. This will avert the build-up of poisonous gases, such as carbon monoxide.
• Fuel the fire safely. For burning firewood in wood stoves or fireplaces, choose well-seasoned wood that has been dried for a minimim of six months to a year and stored properly.
• Never use gasoline,charcoal lighter,or other fuel to light or relight a fire because
  the vapors can explode. Never keep flammable fuels near a fire. Vapors can
  travel the length of a room and explode.
• Do not use coal or charcoal in a fireplace because because of the danger of carbon monoxide build-up. Do not burn trash or gift wrap in the fireplace because polystyrene foam and other coated materials can generate deadly fumes. Flying paper embers could also ignite the roof.
• Do not overload the fireplace. Large fires can lead to overheating of wall or roof materials, particularly if the fireplace is constructed of metal.
• Always use a screen around the fireplace to keep sparks from flying out and to protect children and adults from accidental clothing ignition.
• Warn children about the danger of fire. Do not let them play with fire.
• Keep flammable materials such as carpets, pillows, furniture or papers away from the fireplace area.
• At holiday time, make sure the Christmas tree is not close enough to be ignited by a spark. Be especially careful of accidentally igniting holiday wrapping papers.
• Always make sure that the fire is completely extinguished before going to bed for the night or when leaving the house.
• Fireplace ashes are a common source of heat which causes fires. When removed from the fireplace or wood stove, you should place the ashes in a metal container with a tightly covered metal lid. Keep the container away the house and away from combustibles outside and don’t put the container on a combustible surface such as wood flooring on a deck. It takes a minimum of 2-3 days for the ashes to cool to a point where they are safe to discard and even then you should check the ashes by feeling the outside of the container for heat. Ashes are great for certain plants so recycle them in and around your garden after they have completely cooled. Check to make sure there are no smoldering embers left when you spread the ashes out.