Tips on heating your home safely; how to request smoke alarm in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- It seemed like out of nowhere Old Man Winter showed up, even though it's still technically fall.
No one Action News spoke with seemed to be ready for it.
"It's freezing. I'm not happy about this weather," said Allison Smith of Center City.
"Not liking it, but it is what it is," said Eddie Gumbs of Center City.
Though some were trying to look on the positive side.
SEE ALSO: How much snow will fall in the Philadelphia region this winter?
"Might as well stay inside and put the Christmas tree up," said Smith.
Now with the cold weather, we know you have to heat your home. It may sound like common sense to be careful when doing that.
But on Thursday night Guy Triano, the CEO of Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania, says this is a good time for a reminder.
"Heating equipment is the leading cause of home fire deaths. In fact, over 60,000 plus of our disasters that we respond to each year mostly happen in the house," said Triano.
When cooking, he says don't leave the stove or oven unattended, always keep an eye on space heaters and check your furnaces, fireplaces and chimneys.
From past experience, Triano says victims of fire damage unfortunately respond typically the same way.
"They say '(they) didn't think it would happen to me' or 'I only left the room for a few moments,'" said Triano.
According to FEMA's most recent data, "heating-related fires caused an estimated 165 deaths, 600 injuries, and $367 million in property loss each year on average."
So again, we know the weather is getting cold, but it's important to be prepared and safe.
If you need a smoke alarm in Philadelphia, just call 311 and set up an appointment.
