Most people worry about their children being near the fireplace during the winter months, because that is when a fire is burning. However, the fireplace can be dangerous throughout the entire year if the proper precautions have not been taken.
Here are 4 things that you can do to keep your children safe around your fireplace this summer season:
Make a Static “No Playing Near the Fireplace” Rule
We understand that there is not a fire burning in your fireplace during the summer. However, it is very important to not let your children play near the fireplace. One of the reasons is because children, especially young ones, are not going to understand why it is okay now and not four or five months from now.
In a few months, they would see the fire and still think “It’s okay, I was on the hearth all summer long. I can play there now too.” The hearth surrounding your fireplace doesn’t get any softer during the warmer months. If you normally have that area gated off and you remove it for the summer, we recommend that you make sure that you have a padding on your hearth. That padding can prevent deep cuts and other injuries if your child happens to be up there and falls.
Wait for the Ashes to Cool
It is important to wait for the ashes to cool down from a fire before you remove them from the fireplace, but this is something that you need to make sure that you do. It is easy to forget about the ashes, especially if it has been so long since you have built a fire. Those ashes would not only be messy if your child got into them, but they would not be too good if they got into their mouth either.
Keep Fireplace Tools Out of Reach
The fireplace tools may have been well out of reach if you normally have the fireplace gated off, but if you remove the gate, you will want to make sure that you remove the tools as well. Pokers and shovels make great weapons for children and they are accidents waiting to happen.
Fireplace Safety Education
We understand that the safety of your children is very important and we are here to help in any way that we can. The primary thing you can do is to teach your children respect for the fireplace and that it is not a play place regardless of the season.
The chimney sweeps here at Lou Curley’s Chimney Service are CSIA Certified and we have years of experience under our belts. We strive to continue our education as often as possible so we’re always in the position to offer you the best possible chimney services in Drexel Hill and all along the Main Line. Call us at 610-626-2439 to discuss your chimney needs or to schedule an appointment for a chimney cleaning, chimney inspection, or chimney repair.