Tips for winter fire prevention

Winter time is hectic for most churches, with Christmas musicals and dramas, as well as other special events. During the cold of winter, it is important for churches to keep fire safety in mind.

A bulletin on the Alabama Department of Insurance’s Web site, www.aldoi.org, encourages the following tips, which can apply to churches and homes:

1. Check your smoke detectors/alarms. Make sure they are working. Detectors and alarms should be tested monthly if they are powered by the building electrical service and weekly if they are battery powered. (It is important to replace them immediately if they are not working. Batteries should be replaced if found to be dead, as well as every 12 months.
2. Detectors/alarms should be vacuumed monthly to remove dust, cobwebs and small bugs. Vacuuming will cause the alarm to sound for a few seconds, but the noise will stop after the cleaning process is over.
3. Check furnace filters to make sure they are clean. Look for cracks in the vent pipe or around any of the burners, if your furnace is natural or LP gas fueled. If there are any cracks, do not use the furnace until the vent pipe or burner is replaced.
4. If you have gas space heater, they should be vented, be equipped with an oxygen depletion device or you should open a nearby window slightly any time the heater is used. Do not use space heaters if the vent pipes are cracked, the oxygen deletion device has been disconnected or is not working, or if the flames are yellow/orange rather than blue. Have your heater checked immediately by a qualified gas service company if any problems exist.
5. Never use the oven to heat the building or to dry clothing.
6. Use caution when using kerosene heaters or portable electric heaters. Never refill kerosene heaters inside the building.
7. Keep heating equipment and combustibles at a safe distance from each other. Use extreme caution when standing near heating equipment with an open flame.
8. Never start fires in a fireplace using flammable liquids such as gasoline and make sure the chimney is clean and free of cracks before using.
9. Make sure you and your church members have an escape plan should there be a fire and practice the plan. Never plan to stand and fight a fire unless it is necessary to reach an escape route.
10. Have two ways to escape from every room.
11. Should you have a fire, do not panic. Remain calm and crawl or stay close to the floor to avoid smoke and superheated gases as you escape.
12. Have a meeting place outside the church. Go to a nearby house or store to call the fire department.
13. Never reenter a burning building once you are outside.