Staying safe while keeping warm

portable heater
With temperatures overnight on Friday reaching below 20 in parts of Alabama, this is a good time to share some safety tips from our friends at the American Red Cross:
- Never use a stove or oven to heat your home.
- If you are using a space heater, place it on a level, hard surface and keep anything flammable at least three feet away – things such as paper, clothing, bedding, curtains or rugs.
- Turn off space heaters and make sure fireplace embers are out before leaving the room or going to bed.
- If you are using a fireplace, use a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.
- Don’t forget your pets – bring them indoors. If they can’t come inside, make sure they have enough shelter to keep them warm and that they can get to unfrozen water.
- Avoid frozen pipes – run water, even at a trickle, to help prevent them from freezing. Open the kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing.
Additional Resources
Audio clips with Alabama Power Spokesman Ike Pigott:
- People get in trouble when they don’t take a few minutes to prepare (:09)
- Ovens and ranges just don’t make sense (:09)
- Keep space around your space heater (:16)
- Think before lighting the fireplace (:13)
- Full cut (:53)