Safety Tips from Chief Jeff Riddle at MFPD:

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season. Here are a couple of safety tips for the winter months:  

1. Be sure to check your furnace filters at least every thirty (30) days.  The District will respond to several reports of odor of smoke in the house over the next few months.  Most of these will be caused by overheated fan motors on the furnace. By not changing or cleaning your filters the fan motor will overheat and could produce a smell or even some smoke in the house.
2. Carbon Monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and non-irritating, it is very hard to detect. Carbon Monoxide is a product of incomplete combustion of gasoline, natural gas and propane or improper ventilation of these gases.  Symptoms may include headaches and flu like effects; larger exposures can lead to significant toxicity of the central nervous system. (you may have trouble keeping your balance or walking). Prolonged exposure can even cause death.  There is only one way to detect carbon monoxide and that is with a UL listed detector.  There are several of these available to choose from at your local retail stores.  I personally like the electric with battery backup and has a digital read out.