Ways to Prevent Serious Injury to Children Around Your Fireplace

If you operate a fireplace and have young children living in or visiting your home, it’s a good idea to take a few simple steps to childproof it.

Felgemacher of Rochester, NY, and Buffalo, NY, would like to suggest four ways you can make your fireplace safer for young children and prevent the injuries that can easily happen when they get too close to the fascinating flames.

1. Set up a fireplace screen

While fireplace screens aren’t as sturdy as walls, they’re visible barriers that remind kids to stay away from the fireplace. Screens also help keep popping embers and ash from getting in your room and on people and furnishings. Fireplace screens are easy to install and come in several sizes and styles.

2. Install glass fireplace doors

Manufactured fireplaces generally include protective glass doors. If your fireplace has them, use them. Open masonry fireplaces, on the other hand, usually don’t have doors, so ask your chimney company about installing a set. Even if the doors can’t be closed during a fire, they can be closed right after, when the firebox is full of sizzling logs and dying embers.

3. Consider a hearth rug and hearth padding

A flat brick hearth is an accident-in-waiting for playful children. A raised hearth with semi-sharp and very hard edges can cause a serious injury. A hearth rug will soften the flat surface, and hearth padding will take the edge off the brick corners.

4. Monitor and teach

Very young children need to be watched around an active fireplace, so make sure there’s a responsible adult with them in the room when the fireplace is in use. Never leave a child unattended when a fire is going. Along with monitoring, kids of all ages should be taught that a fireplace isn’t a toy and that fire can cause serious injury. Teach them well, and keep an eye on them.

Fireplace and chimney safety for all

Fireplaces and chimneys cause injuries every year to people of all ages. Here are some safety tips.

Chimney sweeping

Have the chimney professionally cleaned (swept) once a year. Creosote in the flue can ignite and start a chimney fire. Debris in the flue can hinder the draft and send smoke and deadly carbon monoxide into the room.

Chimney and fireplace inspections

Schedule annual chimney and fireplace inspections with a licensed inspector. This is how to learn about early signs of trouble so you can get them fixed.

Don’t use accelerants

Never use lighter fluid, charcoal starter, or any other accelerant to start fires. These fluids can combust explosively and burn at temperatures higher than a fireplace is designed to withstand.

CO monitor

Make sure you have a working carbon monoxide monitor near the fireplace. It can save lives by alerting you to the presence of this invisible, odorless, and deadly gas.

Report your concerns

If you notice anything that you consider “unusual” going on with your fireplace or chimney, report it to your chimney company. It may be nothing, but it may be something that needs quick attention.

New York chimney and fireplace services

Felgemacher can help you make your chimney and fireplace safer for everyone. We provide certified chimney sweeping, licensed inspections, and all manner of chimney repair work. Learn more by calling us or using our contact form.