SAN ANTONIO — With the wind blustering and biting cold temperatures bearing down on South Texas, firefighters say this is an excellent time to make sure your home is as safe as it can be.
Woody Woodward with the San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD) said this week almost represents a period of whiplash because the transition from summer heat to winter cold has been a fast one.
"It feels like we were just talking about heat stroke, but now we have cold weather," Woodward said.
Emphasizing what many consider the most dangerous risk during cold snaps, Woodward said using a stove or an oven to heat a home is problematic.
"It's never a good idea," he said. "It's a fire danger and also if you have a gas stove there's a carbon monoxide danger there."
Coming in a close second, Woodward said, are the many ways space heaters can cause problems. Woodward's biggest safety tip: plugging the unit directly into a wall outlet instead of using an extension cord.
"We don't want to load up that outlet. Try to just plug one thing in that outlet, just your space heater," Woodward said, adding that it's important to keep flammable items well away from the heat source.
"You want to keep your space heater clear, so for at least three feet around it there should be nothing," he said. "No newspapers, no furniture. Don't set anything on top of the space heater."
And, when you're ready to call it a night, don't leave the space heater running.
"I know this is rough, but when you go to sleep, and that's when you want to be warm, you really need to turn that space heater off. Don't leave it on all night unattended," Woodward said. "When you go to bed you're just going to have to bundle up and try to heat up your room as much as you can before you go to sleep."
Woodward said there have been cases where people using a generator or other gas-powered machine have run into trouble.
"Anything that is running on gas should not be in your home. It should be outside of your home and when you put it outside it should be at least 20 feet away from any open window, so the fumes don't come indoors."
Finally, Woodward said, there should be an escape plan familiar to all family members.
"This is a good time of year to take a look around your house and make sure you have a path of escape, so minimize the clutter."
There are many more lifesaving tips, including videos for all ages, provided by SAFD here.
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