Okay, so it’s always the season to think fire safety, but a Boise Fire Department senior officer says winter  is the time to pay particular attention to the subject.

Now, unless you’re a hard-core polar bear, you’ve probably fired up the furnace for the winter, or lit your first fire in the fireplace or wood-burning stove. Did you test your carbon monoxide detector first, though?

“If you have a wood stove or gas heat, or any gas appliances, if you don’t have a carbon monoxide detector, install one,” said Captain Ron Johnson of the BFD.  “If you do, make sure it’s working, check the batteries and test it.”

Captain Johnson says another thing to keep in mind is to have your wood-burning fire place or stove cleaned before lighting up those logs.

You holiday decorating could also pose a fire hazard.  Johnson says as you’re pulling out your Christmas lights, inspect them to make sure there aren’t any exposed wires.  He recommends not using staples to tack up you outside lights, either…plastic hangers work just as well, and won’t catch fire so easily.  If you’re putting up a live tree, keep it watered.

For a list of winter fire safety tips from the Boise fire Department click here.