Precautions Urged Amid Rising Heating Costs

AROOSTOOK COUNTY, Maine (WAGM) -As county residents look for ways to manage heating costs, county officials are reminding locals to make safety a priority. Rising heating costs are driving more people to alternative heating methods. Whether you rely on a furnace, a woodstove or a space heater, local emergency officials say taking precautions can help protect your home from a fire.

Derrick Lamothe, a Firefighter and EMT for Caribou Fire & Ambulance says: “You need to make sure that the way you’re gonna do it is safe and get your furnace, get whatever heating source you’re gonna have tuned up to make sure that it’s gonna run properly and safely.”

Officials say there are several precautions to keep in mind when using alternative heat sources.

“Making sure your chimney’s clean. We see a lot of chimney fires due to not cleaning your chimney and that can turn into a full-blown house fire very quickly. Making sure that there’s no kids or anything playing around the woodstove. You know, some people will put stuff over the woodstove to dry. I would not recommend doing that. If something falls on the stove it can turn catastrophic very quickly,” continued Lamothe.

“Space heaters, make sure you’re not plugging those into extension cords. They should be directly plugged into the wall and then make sure you’ve got a good space around them. We see all the time people that have items too close to space heaters as well as things like wood stoves, kerosene stoves. So, make sure that you have adequate spacing around them. So, you don’t cause a fire inadvertently in your home,” added Darren Woods, Director of the Aroostook E.M.A.

Officials say winterizing your home can also help reduce heating costs.

“We’re all looking at these high fuel prices. We’re all trying to find ways that we can survive through a winter where we have high costs. Anything you can do in your home that would reduce the need for more heat. Things like putting plastic on your windows, putting foam covering over your pipes. Anything you can do to winterize your home that would make it a little bit more efficient would certainly help you be more comfortable and save you a few dollars,” continued Woods.

I asked Caribou fire officials if they expect more fires this season as residents look for more ways to stay warm. Lamothe said: “We hope not but it’s always kind of on our mind that people are gonna do whatever they can to stay warm.”

Emergency officials say keeping these safety tips in mind and paying close attention to your heat sources could help prevent fires this winter.

Precautions Urged Amid Rising Heating Costs

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