As colder weather approaches, it’s important to make sure that your chimney is clean if you have a wood-burning fire place, according to recent news sources. A residue that builds up in chimneys when wood burns, called creosote, is highly combustible and can cause fire hazards.
The National Fire Protection Association recommends annual chimney cleanings.
An inspection takes an hour to an hour and a half and can cost up to $300. If the chimney has been structurally altered it may be a more extensive and expensive inspection.
The Better Business Bureau has warned consumers to be wary of chimney cleaning frauds at unusually low prices. These scammers will often claim to find structural damage or carbon monoxide leaks. Make sure to check with your BBB to avoid scams.
The Chimney Safety Institute can also help you find a certified chimney sweep on their website. To avoid chimney problems, it is recommended that you use well-seasoned firewood, which burns cleaner than green or wet wood.
As a Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer, I hope that you will follow these recommendations in order to ensure that you and your family are safe when using your fireplace this winter. In my experience as a product liability lawyer, I’ve seen how prevention can help avoid fires in the home.
The leading causes of fires in the home stem from cooking, heating and electrical equipment, candles, and smoking related materials. These are all issues that can be prevented if people take the time to plan, according to recent news reports.
This year’s campaign focuses on preventing the leading causes of home fires—cooking, heating and electrical equipment, as well as candles and smoking materials. Additionally, it urges people to protect their homes and families with life-saving technology and planning.
In 2009, more than 360,000 home fires occurred in the United States, according to the National Fire Prevention Agency. In all, 2,565 people died in those fires, and another approximate 13,000 were injured. The following are some tips to help prevent fire in your home:
- Stay in the kitchen while you are using the oven or stove to make food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
- Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from heating equipment.
- Have a 3-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires.
- Replace damaged electrical cords.
- If you smoke, do it outside.
- Use deep, wide ashtrays on a sturdy table.
- Blow out all candles when you leave the room or go to bed. Avoid the use of candles in the bedroom and other areas where people may fall asleep.
While these tips will hopefully prevent a fire in your home, sometimes a fire occurs anyway. These tips should keep you and your family safe in the event of a fire:
- Install smoke alarms inside all of the bedrooms, as well as outside each sleeping area and on all levels of the home.
- Interconnect all smoke alarms in the home so when one sounds, all of them sound.
- Test smoke alarms at least monthly and replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.
- Make a plan that all members of your household know about..
- If you are building or remodeling your home, consider installing home fire sprinklers.
As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, I hope these tips will help keep you and your family safe. In my experience as a personal injury lawyer, I’ve seen how a lack of prevention can have serious consequences.
