During the winter months and extremely low temperatures, we see many home and business owners turning to alternative sources of heat. 50% of home heating fires occur during the months of December, January, and February. Whether to save on energy costs or to warm up a drafty room, space heaters are best used with caution. Follow these safety tips to keep your home or business warm during the winter months and prevent fire damage. Electric Space Heater Safety Tips When purchasing a space heater, look for a safety certification from a well-known source, such as Underwriters Laboratories Canada (UL). Auto shut off features are beneficial to prevent overheating and hazards if the space heater tips over.  Maintain 3 feet of space around the space heater. Take care to remove flammable materials such as curtains, bedding, and clothing. The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) estimates that space heaters placed too close to combustible materials are the second leading cause ...

When hosting outdoor parties in the backyard, safety should be the top priority, especially when using open flames for lighting or ambiance. Fire sources such as candles, portable outdoor fireplaces, sky lanterns, patio (tiki) torches and fire pits can start a fire if they’re not used carefully.  Here are some practical tips to prevent fires during outdoor parties: If there are children and pets at the party, they should always be supervised and kept at least 1 meter away from open flames. If the scene is decorated with burning candles, they must be kept in sturdy candle holders to help prevent candles from being tipped over. More than half of all candle fires start when objects that can burn are too close to candles. Flammable objects should be kept far away from candles and any other open flame. We strongly recommend using battery-operated flameless candles and patio torches instead of their more dangerous, open-flame counterparts. An adult must always supervise portab...