Use Secondary Heat Sources With Caution

With the weather being unseasonably warm for most of the winter, this coming weekend might come as a bit of a shock. The Simcoe County area is expecting the temperature to drop well into the low -20’s over the weekend and  that may prompt most of us to turn up the heat. For some though the heat comes from a secondary source and that CAN cause some safety issues. Springwater Fire Chief Tony Van Dam, wants you to look at any heating device you might be considering using and make sure its up to code before you use it. Ensure space heaters are in good working order and that you have your chimney inspected. He says never bring an open flame, such as a BBQ or kerosene heater into your house as that could lead to a fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. Van Dam says make sure all your smoke alarms and CO detectors are in good working order. And if all else fails…. He says body heat makes for a great insulator.