|
|
Follow these tips to ensure your home
remains a safe haven for your family
Several safety hazards may exist in your home, and you might not
even realize it. Follow these tips to ensure your home remains
a safe haven for your family.
- See that window glass that is less
than 18 inches off the floor is rated as safety glass.
- Equip
windows with childproof latches if sills are less than 2 feet
above the floor or if they're located on upper stories.
- Set the
thermostat on your water heater to 120 degrees, which will help
prevent scalding injuries.
- Keep flammable materials and liquids
several feet away from gas furnaces and water heaters.
- Make sure
your garage door opener has an automatic reversing mechanism
and a photoelectric sensor that prevent the door from closing
should you, your children, or your pets get in the way.
- Install fencing or shrubs
around steep slopes in your yard to protect children from tumbling
down.
- See that all interior and exterior stairs have a railing
on at least one side, and that it's mounted securely.
- Make sure
decks, porches, and balconies have railings and that the spindles
or balusters are spaced no more than 4 inches apart
to prevent children from slipping through.
- Keep tire extinguishers
in the kitchen and garage.
- Install smoke detectors and carbon
monoxide detectors near bedrooms and any combustion equipment,
such as the furnace.Replace appliance cords that have torn insulation,
and don't touch any wires that may be exposed.
- Outfit electrical
outlets near water sources with ground-fault circuit interrupters
(GFCIs), which immediately cut electrical
flow when touched with water.
Facts On Carbon Monoxide
- The National center For Health Statistics
says Carbon Monoxide is to blame for 3500 accidental deaths
and suicides each year
in the United States alone. It is the NUMBER 1 cause of all
deaths by poisoning.
- The cause of CO poisoning is often
a faulty fuel-burning furnace, oven, water heater, space heater,
wood stove, or
fireplace. The
best way to reduce your risk is to MAINTAIN those appliances.
- A
device to measure the air is an essential backup and you should
have at least one CO detector, referably in
a hallway
or sleeping
area. If the alarm does go off and you're feeling sick
(flu- like symptoms), get immediately out of the house
and call the
fire department
or your furnace company. If the alarm sounds and you don't
feel ill, shut off the possible sources of CO and ventilate
the
house as
quickly as possible. Still call a qualified technician
or your fire department for further advice as to how
to handle your
respective situation.
Carbon monoxide poisoning kills hundreds of people each
year. Many that do not die are sickened by it. In fact,
sometimes,
carbon
monoxide poisoning has been misdiagnosed as the flu.
In short, your heating system may be making you sick,
and
have the potential
to do even worse. To help with this often-undetected
danger, our technicians will come to your home and
conduct a full
inspection on your system for safety. We will report
to you any problems
and
make recommendations as needed.
Our Fall 15-point check-up usually takes an average
of about one hour. You'll save money by becoming a Comfort Club customer.
|
|
|
