1. Fires caused by space heaters are the second-leading cause of fires in the home. Make sure your space heater is on the floor, not the counter, or any other surface, unless it is designed for use somewhere other than on the floor. Make sure it's on a flat surface, so it doesn't fall over. Make sure there is three feet of clear space around it, paying particular attention to curtains, furniture, and decorations.
2. Fire can quickly jump out of the fireplace, starting a flash fire on the carpet or other highly flammable objects such as paper, cardboard, trash and other debris. Prevent a flash fire in your home by only burning wood in your fireplace.
3. Deadly chimney fires are caused by the buildup of creosote, a highly combustible by-product of burning wood. To protect your chimney from creosote buildup, have it inspected and cleaned annually.
4. Home fires are sometimes caused by embers ignighting in trash cans inside the home. When cleaning the ash and embers out of your fireplace, put them in a metal container and set them outside to cool for 24 hours before disposal.
5. Snow on your roof can block the chimney and vents, resulting in deadly carbon monoxide poisoning.
6. Look up! Be aware and on guard against snow and ice in trees and on overhangs. It can fall, causing serious injury.
7. The weight from ice and snow on tree limbs can cause them to break power lines, causing massive power outages. Make sure you have food on hand that does not require refrigeration and when the power comes back on, check the food in your refrigerator to make sure it isn't spoiled. The smell test is a good way to tell if food has gone bad. If it smells funny, throw it out. If you're unsure, don't take any chances, throw it out.
8. Power outages increase the need for candles. On average, 42 home candle fires are reported in the United States every day. One-third of them start in the bedroom. Never leave candles unattended and never fall asleep with candles burning. Keep a 6-inch area around a candle clear so it doesn't light anything on fire. The candle's wick should stay trimmed to 1/4 inch to minimize the size of a the flame.
9. When clearing the snow and ice off your car, don't forget to also clean-out the tailpipe. Snow and ice can clog it, causing deadly carbon monoxide poisoning.
10. Equip your car with a blanket, water, first aid kit, flashlight, road flares, hazard triangle, spare tire and jumper cables.