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1) Don’t forget to plan ahead now for freezing weather this weekend. If you have outside pets, please bring them inside! Most homes have laundry rooms and bathrooms. If not possible to bring them inside, make sure they have a warm place to sleep with plenty of straw. Your pet will appreciate a warm place to stay during the upcoming cold weather.
NOTE: If you use heat lamps, make sure animals can’t reach them to pull them down. We have worked several fires due to heat lamps falling and causing fires.
2) Check on your elderly family members, neighbors/friends. Help them winterize their faucets, make sure they have heaters that work, warm blankets and plenty of food on hand.
3) Bring your plants inside or cover them.
4) Wrap your pipes, leave water dripping when temps get to freezing (hot AND cold water).
5) If you have a portable or even a standyby home generator, start and run it now to make sure it will operate if needed this weekend. If you wait until freezing, rainy weather, it’ll be a miserable chore for you to deal with then. Remember not to run generators inside garages or enclosed rooms of your home or near your windows or eaves. The exhaust is deadly.
6) If you use portable heaters, make sure there is a clear area surrounding them, do not plug into power strips (plug directly into wall outlet), do not cover heater cords with blankets or other items.
7) If you have a fireplace chimney, make sure it’s clean before building a fire in the fireplace. We’ve worked several house fires caused by chimneys being blocked/dirty.