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According to the National Fire Protection Association, four out of seven home fires occur during December, January and February. About half of these fires are caused by using candles and overloading electrical circuits. As families turn to alternative heating sources out of necessity or to avoid the rising cost of oil and gas, they should take the following precautions: • Create a disaster supplies kit and a disaster plan — Get together lifesaving items in both your home and vehicle. Create a disaster plan for all hazards that will help your family stay connected during emergencies. • Be careful with candles — Do not use candles for lighting if the power goes out. Use flashlights only. • Inspect fireplaces and wood stoves — Have your chimney connections and flues inspected by a professional and cleaned if necessary prior to the start of every heating season. Use a sturdy screen when burning fires. Burn only wood - never burn paper or pine boughs. • Use generators correctly — If you have a portable generator and the power goes out, always plan to keep the generator outdoors-never operate it inside, including the basement or garage. Do not hook up a generator directly to your home's wiring. The safest thing to do is to connect the equipment you want to power directly to the outlets on the generator. Connecting a cord from the generator to a point on the permanent wiring system and backfeeding power to your home is an unsafe method to supply a building with power. • Prevent frozen pipes — When the weather is very cold outside, open cabinet doors to let warm air circulate around water pipes. Let the cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe - even at a trickle - helps prevent pipes from freezing because the temperature of the water running through it is above freezing. Keep the thermostat set to a consistent temperature. • Check smoke alarms — Make sure alarms are working properly and replace batteries as necessary. • Be aware of overuse of electrical outlets — Don't overload your electrical outlets. Be careful of extension cords that present hazardous walkways. In recent weeks, the Emergency Management Webpage has been updated with resources to help residents and businesses plan and prepare for emergencies. In addition to general emergency preparedness tips, there is now a special section focusing on Winter weather safety. Please visit www.norwalkct.org and scroll down to the Emergency Management link. For questions about Emergency preparedness and planning in Norwalk, please contact Michele DeLuca at 854-0238 or mdeluca@norwalkct.org. © Copyright by NorwalkPlus.com. Some articles and pictures posted on our website, as indicated by their bylines, were submitted as press releases and do not necessarily reflect the position and opinion of NorwalkPlus.com, Norwalk Plus magazine, Canaiden LLC or any of its associated entities. Articles may have been edited for brevity and grammar. Related Articles: Eligibility in Charter Oak tops 2,000; Enrollment tops 1,000 - Sep 26, 2008 - 3:52 PM People warned for unofficial web sites when applying for unemployment benefits - Sep 26, 2008 - 1:30 PM New Milford earns HEARTSafe Community designation - Sep 25, 2008 - 4:45 PM South Norwalk Railroad station renovation project underway - Sep 23, 2008 - 1:17 PM New Spanish-language web page provides information on heating assistance - Sep 23, 2008 - 11:56 AM CURRENT HEADLINES: Top of Page
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