Winter cold means heating your home or business is a priority, but it’s the little things that we sometimes forget that can also lead to serious fire hazards. The deputy fire chief in Linden, Bryan Kostrey, has some important reminders about fire safety.

Make sure your smoke detectors, all of them, are working properly -- test them and change the batteries regularly, if necessary.  

“Smoke alarms or smoke detectors are easily something that is forgotten about or overlooked,” says Kostrey

It’s very important to call 911 immediately to let the professionals handle the job, then, if you have a fire extinguisher, make sure the gauge is still in the green and if you ever do use it, make sure you have an escape route from the room you’re using it in. 

“We use anacronym called PASS and that stands for you’re going to pull the safety pin, you’re then going to aim extinguisher to the fire, you are then going to squeeze the handle and then you’re going to sweep along the base of the fire,” says Kostrey.

Also, do your best to keep doors in your home closed, it makes a dramatic difference in containing the flames. “When you shut a door, what you’re doing is your confining that fire to the area at origin and that’s very important because it doesn’t allow the fire to spread,” says Kostrey.

Many also use space heaters this time of year. “Some people use them as their main primary source of heat if their heat is not working,” says Kostrey. “It’s more of a temporary fix than something to be used long term.”

Kostrey adds if you do use a space heater, do not plug it into an extension cord, plug it directly into an outlet.