Autumn Safety Tips

As we start getting into cooler weather, everyone is beginning to move activities indoors. Before winter sets in, however, you have a window of opportunity to take care of some household items to make sure you’re prepared. Here are some fall safety tips (or, if you prefer, autumn safety tips) to check off your to-do list. 

If you have a fireplace or wood stove, have your chimney cleaned, as well as the firebox. Remove any clutter which may have accumulated on or near the stove or fireplace, and keep combustible items well away from the hearth. Be sure your chimney is lined and liner is in good condition, and check that the chimney bricks and mortar are in good condition. (You will probably have to get on a ladder to do this, so be sure that the ladder is secure before you ascend it.) 

Use only dry wood in your fireplace, preferably hardwood, as wet wood is more likely to crackle and pop. Those popping embers can land on your carpet and cause a fire. Don’t burn pine, as it is sooty when it burns, which could allow dangerous creosote to build up in your chimney. Make sure the fire is out before you leave the house or go to bed, and keep the glass hearth doors shut tightly.  

Test all your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detector(s) and make sure that there is at least one alarm on each floor to give advance warning of a fire emergency. Practice a family fire drill so that everyone knows what to do if an alarm went off 

If you have candles (or a Jack O’Lantern), use common sense. Burning candles, although setting a fun, festive or romantic mood, can be a fire risk. Don’t leave a burning unattended, especially if children or pets are around. And keep them clear of flammable items, like newspapers and furniture.  

If your furnace hasn’t been cleaned in a while, now may be the time to do it, and while you’re checking things, make sure you get any flammable chemicals out of the basement and out to the tool shed. When you’re out there, replace any outside light bulbs that are burnt out. 

There are more autumn safety tips we can provide, but the fall safety tips above will add significantly to your to-do list. We’ll add to this with a home safety winter checklist in a future edition. 

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