- Prevention and safety information to help Americans stay safe from fire.
- Fire prevention resources for America’s career and volunteer Fire Service.
- Coloring pages, puzzles and games that teach kids how to stay safe from fire.
Alternative Heating
Media stories can save lives! A news story about a residential fire provides a valuable opportunity to give your community a safety message during a teachable moment. Drop in these prevention tips and facts, and you just might save a life.
All U.S. homes should have working smoke alarms.
Fires can be prevented. A few easy steps can save your life!
Space heaters
- Keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from anything that can burn-including furniture, blankets, curtains, and paper products.
- Choose space heaters that turn off automatically if they tip over.
- Never use a space heater to dry clothing.
- Turn off space heaters before you go to bed.
- In a kerosene heater, use only the proper fuel. Check with the local fire department to make sure kerosene heaters are allowed in your community.
- Refuel a heater outside, after it has cooled.
Fireplaces and wood stoves
Fires can be prevented! A few easy steps can save your life!
- Have a service person inspect and clean your chimney or wood stove each year.
- Use a metal or glass fireplace screen to keep sparks from hitting nearby carpets or furniture.
- Keep air inlets on wood stoves open.
- Keep kindling, paper, and décor away from fireplaces and wood stoves.
- Never use gas or lighter fluid to start a fireplace or wood stove.
- Burn only seasoned hardwood. Burning soft, moist wood causes a lot of creosote build-up and can cause a chimney fire.
- Don't burn cardboard boxes, newspaper, or trash. They burn too hot and can cause a chimney fire.
- Be sure vent pipes extend at least 3 feet above the roof.
- Install stovepipe thermometers to check flue temperatures.
- Follow manufacturer's instructions for installing and maintaining fireplaces and wood stoves.
Alternative Heating Fire Facts
- More than one third of Americans use fireplaces, wood stoves, and other fuel-burning appliances to heat their homes.
- Nearly 36,000 fires and 250 deaths occur each year from portable heaters, fireplaces, and chimneys.
- Heating is the second leading cause of home fires.
- Fireplaces and chimneys are the number one source of home heating equipment fires.
- Portable space heaters are the top cause of fire deaths from home heating equipment.