Northwest Iowa — With the bitterly cold temperatures we’ve been experiencing, many supplemental heating units are probably being used. But area fire chiefs are urging extreme caution with these products, which could include old-fashioned space heaters, newer ceramic electric heaters, kerosene heaters, and gas heaters.
Orange City Fire Chief Denny Vander Wel says that although space heaters have more safeguards than they used to, you still need to be careful when using them because they can start fires.
(As said:) “The new ones — they have a lot of safeguards on you know, if they tip over they’ll shut off, you know. In the old days, you know, when I grew up the space heaters had that element that turned bright red. The new ones don’t do that anymore. They’ve got kind of a ceramic coil or whatever in there and as well as… they got what they call… an oil heater. Well, it heats up the oil fluid inside there. So, you know, they’ve become a lot better but you know there again, the biggest thing with space heaters is overloading the the outlet on the wall. Yeah, quite often what happens is they’ll put a space heater in and it’ll be several other things plugged into that outlet. You’ll probably use an outlet strip or something like that. That’s where the problem really lies is a lot on that anymore.”
He says if you have to use one, make sure to take some precautions.
(As said:) “Make sure it’s away from anything combustible 3 feet away for sure. And I don’t like using them in bedrooms where people sleep because sometimes a blanket or something can get laying on top of it and so on as if that’s the biggest danger something lays on top of it.
Other heaters are not safe from a carbon monoxide point of view, including portable gasoline heaters, propane heaters, unvented natural gas heaters, and charcoal heaters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, says these types of heating devices should not be used indoors.
Experts say everyone should be aware of the dangers of creating carbon monoxide in an enclosed area. We talked to Sioux Center Fire Chief David Van Holland, and he tells us how you can avoid becoming a victim.
(As said:) “Number one thing is get a carbon monoxide detector, you know and put it in a high spot one on each floor. And you know, any time you have a gas furnace or a gas hot water heater or a gas stove we highly highly recommend it. You know, you should never run your vehicle in the garage, you know, you should always back it out of the garage and then let it warm up. Anytime you have a door that’s left open in the garage while you’re doing now you’re going to get carbon monoxide in your house.”
The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning present themselves with a headache, flu-like symptoms, nausea, dizziness, and so forth. They say if you believe that you are possibly suffering from carbon monoxide — call 911 and remove yourself from that structure as soon as you can.
Here are ten ways to stay safe during this latest round of cold temperatures, from the American Red Cross:
-Wear layers of lightweight clothing to stay warm. Gloves and a hat will help prevent losing body heat.
-Know the signs of hypothermia – confusion, dizziness, exhaustion, and severe shivering. If someone has these symptoms, they should get immediate medical attention.
-Watch for symptoms of frostbite including numbness, flushed gray, white, blue or yellow skin discoloration, numbness or waxy feeling skin.
-Bring most pets indoors. If that’s not possible, 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. Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night to help avoid freezing pipes.
-Do not use a stove or oven to heat the home.
-Space heaters should sit on a level, hard surface and anything flammable should be kept at least three feet away.
-If using a fireplace, use a glass or metal fire screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.
-Turn off space heaters and make sure fireplace embers are out before leaving the room or going to bed.
