Winter weather safety tips from Willow Park Fire Department

The cold weather has officially arrived! And it’s going to get worse from here, folks. Here are our best tips for safety during the freezing weather:

- Follow information from your local government agencies and news stations for the most up-to-date information. This is especially important for road conditions if we do receive frozen precipitation later this week.

- Dress in layers and limit your time outdoors if all possible.

- Wrap outside pipes and faucets with insulating material and keep indoor faucets dripping when temperatures are below freezing.

- Bring pets inside and wipe paws after outside visits. If you have livestock that must stay outdoors, choose straw rather than blankets to help keep them warm.

- Space heaters cause 1/3 of home heating fires and 4/5 home heating fires deaths. Always use caution with space heaters: keep them three feet away from anything that can burn and always on a solid, flat surface.

- Allow fireplace ashes to cool before disposal, also dispose of them in an ash can at least ten feet from your home, and pour water on them after disposal.

- Never heat your home using a stovetop or oven.

- Never use a generator, camp stove, charcoal grill, gasoline or propane heater indoors.

- Most importantly, take care of yourselves and your neighbors. Now is a good time to check on elderly or disabled community members and make sure they’re also ready for the cold.

As always, the Willow Park Fire Department will be here in case of emergency. Stay safe.