Winter Safety Tips

As we all are painfully aware, this winter has brought us more snow and subzero weather than our usual season. As a result, there are things we need to know and to do to protect ourselves and our homes.
First be sure you have your heating system checked by a trusted Heating and Air Conditioning service. Your furnace can be a source of deadly carbon monoxide. In conjunction with the proper service of your unit, make sure you have a working CO2 detector, with fresh batteries on each level of your home, including near your bedrooms.
The service and inspection of your furnace can also detect any fire hazard that the unit may present. Furnaces can fail and cause lethal fires if the firebox is compromised. Let your professional inspect for any such damage.
Change your filters. This is the most inexpensive way to keep your furnace running smoothly. No need to buy the most expensive filters, just change them regularly.
In addition to the CO2 detector, have working Smoke detectors in your home, and make sure they work and have fresh batteries. Change those batteries when you change your clocks is a good rule of thumb.
If you have a furnace issue, a good thing to check right away is to make sure your exhaust flue is not blocked by snow. Modern furnaces will shut down if that exhaust is blocked. Fixing that could eliminate a costly emergency service call.
As for other areas of your home, Ice Damming can cause considerable damage to the interior of your home, in addition to compromising your roof in extreme cases. If possible, clear snow built up near your gutters. Ice Damming is the process of the snow on your roof melting during the warmth of the day, then freezing when temperatures fall below 32. The melted snow creeps back up under the shingles as is freezes and can get into your home, leaking onto ceilings causing various types of damage.  It probably isn't a good idea for a homeowner to get on a ladder, so consider hiring a professional to do this for you.
Be sure to clear and apply some ice melt to your sidewalks and other walking areas both for yourself and for your neighbors who walk on those paths. Be sure to do a good job to eliminate any possible liability.
As always, obtain a Certificate of Insurance from any contractor who does work on your home to assure that they have General Liability, Business Auto, and Workers Compensation coverage. You could have significant problems using uninsured contractors. Adding Contingent Workers Compensation coverage to your Homeowners policy is an excellent and cost effective way to add protection to you, along with an Umbrella Liability  policy. Review these with your insurance agent frequently.
As for your car, make sure your tires are adequately inflated, your antifreeze level is adequate, you keep adequate fuel levels, and an emergency kit in your car, especially if you travel long distances.
Planning ahead can pay big rewards in this abnormal winter.