Don’t get burned this winter

As you warm yourself and your family indoors during the cold winter months, don’t get burned.

Stay safe around heaters, stoves and other hot objects. Some tips:

• Keep your space heater several feet away from yourself, your furniture and your draperies while it’s turned on. And never leave a child alone in a room with an operating space heater.

• Don’t try to balance a child in one arm and a cup of hot coffee or tea with the opposite hand.

• Avoid loose clothing while cooking or tending to the fireplace. Throw on a short-sleeved shirt to cut your risk of catching your clothes on fire.

• Turn pot handles away from the edge of the stove to avoid knocking the pots over.

• Puncture microwavable plastic bags and keep containers slightly ventilated while they’re in the microwave oven. This prevents buildup of scalding steam.

• If you have a grease fire, don’t try to move or touch the pan. Instead, turn off the heat and cover it with a lid.

• Place fireplace ashes in a metal container outside by themselves. This gets them out of the house and isolates them from flammable materials.

• Teach kids respect for fire: Let them know that it’s dangerous and not something to play with or around.