Fire Prevention Week

Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 9 – 15, is again upon us, and gives fire professionals the opportunity to emphasize the importance of fire safety in the home.

Fire safety is extremely important to all of us at MCP Chimney, and is an issue we take seriously all year round. And the work we perform on your fireplace and chimney will help keep you and your family safe.

This year’s Fire Prevention Week theme is, “Don’t Wait— Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years.” While most homeowners know that replacing batteries at least twice a year is a recommended practice, many homeowners are unaware that smoke alarms, which are shown to save lives, should be replaced every 10 years.

Smoke alarms can play a key role when there’s a house fire. But there are other considerations when keeping your home safe from fire, especially as it relates to heat sources, like your fireplace. According to the National Fire Protection Association:

• 33 percent of home heating fires involve space heaters, including wood stoves, resulting in 81 percent of heating fire deaths.

• Heating equipment is the second leading cause of home fires, fire deaths, and fire injuries in most years.

• More than half of fires caused by heating units occurred because the heat source was too close to flammable materials.

Lastly, the leading factor contributing to heating equipment fires was failure to thoroughly clean the heat source, which traditionally involves creosote build-up in chimneys. MCP Chimney can keep your chimney clear of creosote, which is the toxic by-product of burning that adheres to the interior walls of your chimney and can catch on fire in intense heat.

It’s recommended that your chimney be professionally cleaned and cleared of creosote every year.

Our staff is knowledgeable and dedicated to ridding your chimney of creosote to minimize the threat of fire year round. We provide a variety of other services, too, including thorough inspections to ensure your chimney is sound and clean.

Contact us today to learn more about Fire Prevention Week and tips to keep you and your family safe.