State Fire Marshal's Office's Heating Safety Tips

JACKSON The last fire death investigated by the State Fire Marshal's office in 2014 occurred on New Year's Eve, and the cause is suspected to be heating related. With extreme cold temperatures forecasted for the state this week, Commissioner of Insurance and State Fire Marshal Mike Chaney urges all Mississippians to start the new year by practicing heating and fire safety.

Properly using heating sources to stay warm during cold weather and having working smoke alarms in your home is literally the difference between life and death, is the message Mississippi State Fire Marshal Mike Chaney has repeated over and over.

It is a message that he will continue to repeat in order to protect lives in Mississippi

Everyone must use extra precaution when using space heaters or alternative methods as heating sources. Space heating poses a much higher risk of fire, death and injury than central heating, and it cannot be stressed enough that using a stove to heat a home is extremely dangerous, Chaney said.

Every home should have a working smoke alarm. Working smoke alarms can cut the risk of people dying in home fires in half, he added.

Fire safety education and preventing fire deaths continue to be priority goals of the State Fire Marshal's office.

As you prepare for this week's cold weather, the State Fire Marshal's office offers these heating safety tips:

Should a fire break out in the home, have an emergency evacuation plan for the family to follow and have a designated meeting place for all family members. Once everyone is outside the burning home, call 911 and DO NOT RE-ENTER THE HOME UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!

For more fire safety information and tips visit a special State Fire Marshal Heating Fire Safety page on the Mississippi Insurance Department website at http://www.mid.ms.gov

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State Fire Marshal's Office's Heating Safety Tips