Fire Department shares heat-source safety tips

BANGOR – Though he doesn’t turn 2 until next month, Christopher Madden already knows a firetruck when he sees one.

“He’s very inquisitive. He knows trucks,” Gina Madden of Belfast, the toddler’s mother, said Sunday during the Bangor Fire Department’s annual fall open house at Central Fire Station on Main Street, part of the department’s National Fire Prevention Week lineup.

Madden said Christopher has a book about firetrucks and firefighters and loves having the book read to him. She said that she heard a radio spot about the open house while driving to Bangor to visit her parents and thought the event would be a perfect opportunity for her son to see firefighters, their firetrucks and ambulances and other gear.

“Fire dump truck!” Christopher shouted excitedly as he bounced up and down behind the wheel of one of the city’s firetrucks.

With Sunday’s miserable, wet weather, turnout at this year’s event was light.

“This is the deadest open house I’ve seen in all the years I’ve been with the department,” said Jason Johnson, a public information officer with the Bangor Fire Department. After more than two hours into the four-hour event, only about a dozen visitors had dropped by.

Nonetheless, it is not too late to learn more about the department’s fire prevention focus for the winter ahead – namely the safe operation of such home heating equipment as wood and pellet stoves, fireplaces and space heaters.

During the oil crisis in the 1970s, the number of fires related to home heating equipment increased dramatically both in Maine and across the United States.

With heating fuel prices skyrocketing in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, firefighters here and elsewhere are worried that the fuel prices will lead many residents to improperly use new or used heating equipment or reactivate equipment they haven’t used in years.

While Johnson said that heating with wood, pellets, kerosene and propane can be safe alternatives to heating with oil, he has assembled lists of safety tips for those who plan to use stoves and space heaters.

For information, contact Bangor Fire Department’s fire prevention bureau at 992-4714.

Space heater safety tips

. When purchasing a portable space heater, make sure it has the Underwriter’s Laboratory safety listing. Electric space heaters also should have a thermostat control and a safety mechanism that will turn the heater off if accidentally knocked over.

. Provide adequate clearance space. Combustible materials should be kept at least 3 feet away from space heaters.

. When using a kerosene- or propane-powered space heater, use only the proper fuel when refilling and use only in well-ventilated rooms. If possible, refuel the heater outdoors.

. Permanent or fixed space heaters should only be installed by qualified technicians.

. Make sure your home has working smoke detectors and consider purchasing a carbon monoxide detector. Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless gas that can be produced by malfunctioning kerosene and propane space heaters. A detector will provide early warning of the buildup of this dangerous gas.

Wood stove heating safety tips

. Contact the Bangor Fire Department’s fire prevention bureau or your local fire department for a free inspection.

. Make sure your wood stove is in good condition, without any cracks and with all seals intact. Stovepipes should fit together securely and be fastened together with screws.

. Wood stoves generally need 3 feet of clearance from all combustible objects, such as furniture and walls, although this distance may be reduced depending on the stove or various heat-dissipating devices.

. Avoid the use of flammable fuels, such as gasoline or kerosene, when starting a fire in a wood stove.

. Burn only seasoned wood, if possible. “Green” wood tends to produce more creosote, which can lead to a chimney fire.

. Chimneys should be inspected and cleaned on a regular basis. If there is a quarter-inch or more buildup of creosote, the chimney should be cleaned.

. Never use a fireplace without a glass or metal fire screen.

. Treat all stove ash as though it still might contain a live ember. Do not use a paper or plastic bag, plastic bucket or cardboard box to dispose of ashes. Instead, use a covered metal pail and remove the ash to an area outside of the home. Do not place the hot ashes in a garage, mudroom or on decking.

. Make sure your home has working smoke detectors in the hallway, bedrooms and on every level.