It's a good idea to refresh your memory on fall fire safety tips. Some safety tips are the same regardless of the time of year, but many safety concerns are seasonal, particularly those that involve keeping your home warm.

Time Changes Mean Battery Changes

Get in the habit of changing the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors every fall and spring when changing the clocks for Daylight Savings Time. It is also a good idea to make it standard procedure in your household to verify that all fire extinguishers are fully charged and in working order when you adjust the clocks each season.

Home Heating Tips

No matter what type of device you use to heat your home, making sure your heating devices and/or systems are in good working order is an important part of learning some fall fire safety tips.

Many things can go wrong with heating equipment during the spring and summer months. Verify that everything you need to keep your home warm throughout fall and winter is in good working order before you experience the first cold snap of the season.

Central Heating System Safety Tips

•Get your central heating system cleaned, inspected and serviced by a certified HVAC (heating, venting and air conditioning) contractor every year before using it.

•If you have a gas heater, make sure that you have a sufficient quantity of fully functioning carbon monoxide detectors installed in your home.

•Space Heater Safety Tips

•Make sure that any space heaters are surrounded by at least three feet of empty space.

•Never place clothing or any other objects on a space heater to dry.

•Do not place space heaters near furniture or drapery.

•Turn space heaters off when you leave the house or go to bed.

•Avoid storing any combustible items near heaters.

Fireplace Safety Tips

•Get your chimney inspected each year to make sure that it is safe.

•Hire a chimney sweep to clean out your chimney every fall.

•Repair any cracks in fireplaces.

•Use fireplace screens to keep sparks and fire debris inside the fireplace.

•Do not every use gasoline to start a fire in the fireplace.

•Never leave a fire unattended.

•Make sure that combustible materials are not stored within three feet of your fireplace.

•For natural gas fireplaces, get all connections and lines inspected before use each season.

•Remember that outdoor fireplaces can be just as dangerous as indoor units, and observe all safety precautions when using them

Outdoor Fall Fire Safety Tips

•Clear your roof and gutters of unnecessary buildup of debris, such as pine needles and leaves.

•Learn the outdoor burning regulations in your area, and do not engage in illegal burning of leaves and other outdoor debris.