The temperatures are dropping as the cost of home heating is skyrocketing.

And that has firefighters like Chief Barry Messerschmidt of the Hometown Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 concerned.

“I’m worried that people are going to be using alternate methods like turning their stoves on and leaving their oven doors open to heat their house, or burning anything they can in their stokers or coal stoves,” he said.

Or they might turn to kerosene and space heaters, and forget to keep a watch on them.

Doing those things, he said, could result in heating-related fires, carbon monoxide exposure - or fatalities.

“We’re really concerned,” Messerschmidt said, and warned against taking those measures to heat a home.

Now through Saturday is National Fire Prevention Week but Messerschmidt said people should practice caution each and every day.

“People should inspect their carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms to make sure they are in working condition,” he said.

They should also have their chimneys cleaned, and their oil and coal burners inspected.

He offered other tips, as well, such as keeping anything flammable at least three feet away from heating equipment.

“Just be smart. Use common sense,” he said.

Other suggestions from the National Fire Protection Association include:

• Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.

• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

• Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.

• Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container kept a safe distance from a home.

The NFPA has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week since 1922. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in our country.

During Fire Prevention Week, children, adults, and teachers learn how to stay safe in case of a fire.

The week is observed in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on Oct. 8, 1871, and killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.