KANSAS CITY, Mo — Fire experts say winter months are the leading time of year for home fires due to more cooking, more heating and more flammable house decors like candles and Christmas trees.
“There’s not really a science to it, but there’s definitely a noticeable uptick,” said Capt. Ben Schloegel, with KCFD. “People just get busy and they get distracted.”
First and foremost, KCFD advises families to check on their smoke detectors, and make sure it's working and the battery is full.
They also say be careful not to over plug appliances into power sources and make sure space heaters are new or in good condition.
“Homes today are better engineered — more air tight than they have ever been," Schloegel said. "So that combined with what we are putting in our homes — furniture, appliances that are using more plastic petroleum based products — it’ll burn just a little bit hotter as well."
Carter Posladek, director of operations at A.B. May, also says instead of space heaters, there are other ways to make sure you keep heat inside the home.
“The first thing I would do is go down to your furnace and make sure you check your filter," Posladek said. "You do not want a dirty filter before it gets very cold, because that will add more stress on your furnace."
Look at all the vents throughout the home to make sure objects are not blocking the airflow. And from a plumbing perspective, keep the faucets dripping and open your sink cabinets.
If the heat is still being lost, Posladek advises checking places where cold air may be leaking in.
“You can check like an attic fan — make sure those are closed. An interesting one would be fire place flue chase also — those in the open position, you might be able to feel a draft," Posladek said. "Unless your fire place is on, make sure it’s open, but if your fire place is off, make sure that’s closed. The windows are a big one — that’s why I recommend closing the blinds."
KCFD says once a fire gets going, it will double in size and intensity every minute.
Leadership is planning to put special units in service in light of inclement weather.
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