Fairbury Rural Fire offers winter fire safety tips as temperatures and snow fall

FAIRBURY - As most Nebraskans can see this week, the weather is changing quickly, and winter has come a bit early.

With that, the Fairbury Rural Fire Department wants to remind its patrons that there are several safety precautions to take as the temperatures drop and the heat is turned on.

Statistics show that heating equipment is involved in one of every home fire deaths in the U.S.

You're encouraged to have a three-foot safe zone around any space heater, fuel stove, wood stove or furnace in your home. You should also never leave your home with a heater plugged in or stove still burning.

With daylight savings time ending this weekend, Fairbury Fire Prevention Coordinator Chris Parker says that's the perfect time to change smoke detector batteries, or even the smoke detectors themselves.

"When you go and change the batteries, take the detectors off the wall," Parker suggested. "They do expire in 10 years. If you're at that 9-10 year plan, take them down, go out and buy new ones and stick them up."

Gas and electric furnaces should be inspected at least once a year, and wood stove chimneys should be cleaned before the start of the season. You're also encouraged to have a screen in front of your fireplace.

With Thanksgiving less than a month away, Fairbury Rural Fire is also planning a public turkey fryer safety demonstration within the next couple of weeks.

You can follow Tommy on Twitter @Tommy_NCN.