BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"1 in 6 home fires...have the electrical heating components that are involved in them."
Guy Bonin has been chief of the Iberia Parish Fire District #1 for 15 years.
"November, December, and January are usually our busiest month for fires."
Of the more than 3,000 calls the station responded to last year, 20 of those were structure,' fires.
"A lot of people don't think about it, but if you have an electric ignition where you have an open flame, those aren't made to vent out. So people don't have true fireplaces with a chimney; well that still needs to be cleaned."
Chief Bonin recommends wiping down your heating deflectors to prevent built-up dust and soot from burning.
And, on a safety note, to keep those chemicals out of your house.
"Your carbon monoxide is your biggest killer; you can't smell it, you can't see it, you can't taste it. That's our biggest issue."
The chief advises people to pick up a carbon monoxide detector, available at any hardware store.
As for people with electric space heaters:
"You should only actually have one heating appliance in each outlet plugged in. So if you're gonna plug in two different appliances, use one outlet on one side and one outlet on the other. You should never use an extension cord."
According to Chief Bonin, extension cords are not equipped to handle the level of energy and heat that pace heaters need.
"...and if you feel the need to, check it periodically, and if it's getting warm, or the extension cord gets warm, unplug it immediately."
He also recommends keeping these appliances at least three feet away from anything else that could catch fire.
"Anything that can be plugged in, or even if it's a gas space heater...you want it away from anything that it could touch or transfer heat to be able to ignite something."
So remember:
- Distance is key when plugging in heating appliances
- Wipe down those heating surfaces
- Remember to buy a smoke and carbon monoxide detector.
