Safety tips for space heaters in the home

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI)- Cape Girardeau Fire Department and SERVPRO of Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties offer safety tips when it comes to space heaters in your homes.

Captain and Fire Inspector for the City of Cape Fire Department Randy Sander explains that covering cords with materials or plugging them into extension cords is unsafe.

“You never want to cover the cords up, you never want to plug them into an extension cord, or anything like that they should always be plugged directly into an outlet,” said Sander.

He says space heaters are tested through their cords specifically, and this can cause the main cord’s electrical wiring to melt.

“Make sure to turn them off when you go to bed at night,” he said.

Sander says to never leave a space heater unattended, near flammable items and to have a carbon monoxide detector in your home as an extra precaution.

Mac Davenport, co-owner of SERVPRO in Cape Girardeau, says to look deeper into the instructions of your space heaters.

“You know the book everyone throws away in the trash,” said Davenport. “Yeah everybody just throws that away, and never reads it but that’s really important to read to know how it’s made, how it’s manufactured, how it works, what are some of the details from the electrical side.”

Davenport adds that when pulling an old or stored heater out for the winter, to check it out for any potential risks.

“Make sure it doesn’t have any dents any scratches, any of the electrical line or plug doesn’t have any fray, or torn, anything torn on it that would cause electrical hazards,” he said.

Davenport suggests that having a space heater with a thermostat is best for use whenever it comes to controlling the heat.