With temperatures below the freezing mark predicted for the next few days, folks might turn to space heaters and other home heating equipment.

The equipment, however, can present hazards such as fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.

As Tamaqua’s first assistant fire chief, Mark Bower knows of the dangers all too well.

“The big concern with space heaters is when people put them too close to something,” Bower explained.

Portable heaters can cause fires if they are placed too close to combustible materials, such as drapes, furniture or bedding, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. If used, they should be placed at least three feet from the materials.

Bower said that some might be turning to the heaters because of the rising cost of fuels such as oil and coal.

“The big thing that we see is they’re using them and they are plugging them into extension cords,” Bower said, noting that the practice can start a fire. “They’re not rated for that. They have to be plugged directly into a wall outlet.”

The heaters should never be hooked to a surge protector either, Bower said.

“They melt the surge protectors right down,” he said.

Bower said that some are turning to space heaters because they can’t afford the rising costs of coal and home heating fuels. It’s often the elderly, he said.

“They never were intended to be a primary heat source,” Bower cautioned.

The CPSC estimates that portable heaters, including electric space heaters, were involved in an average of 1,700 fires per year, resulting in approximately 70 deaths and 160 injuries annually from 2017 to 2019.

In addition, fuel-burning heating systems, including furnaces and fireplaces, are a potential source of carbon monoxide, which is an odorless, colorless and poisonous gas known as the “invisible killer.”

“We have lots of carbon monoxide calls,” Bower said. “Some of them end up being bad detectors” but some are for carbon monoxide emissions.

He said all homes should be equipped with carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.

The carbon monoxide detectors should be replaced every 10 years. Batteries in both types of devices should be changed twice a year, and those that plug into an outlet should have their backup batteries replaced at the same frequency.

When firefighters respond to carbon monoxide calls, they often find the cause is a heating system that hasn’t been properly maintained.

“People don’t get their furnaces serviced and cleaned and they need to do that each year, at least once a year,” Bower said.

Chimneys should also be cleaned and checked annually.

“It’s your fossil fuels that cause a lot of the carbon monoxide incidents but that doesn’t mean you can’t have it with your wood burners or pellet stoves. They all can cause problems because when they’re burning and go into that smoldering stage, you can still get carbon monoxide,” he said.

Bower said those with electric heat should also consider carbon monoxide detectors if they live in an attached home. Neighbors, he said, might be heating their homes with fossil fuels.