Keep the area around your wood stove or fire place clean and keep flammable materials away.

Keep air inlets to wood stoves open. This will help limit creosote buildup that can cause a chimney fire.

Use stovepipe thermometers. If your stove or stovepipe is running too hot the thermometer will help you know that.

Use metal mesh screens. This will keep wood sparks and coals from shooting out from your stove or fireplace onto your rugs or any other flammable material.

Use fire-resistant materials on walls around wood stoves. Metal or stone will help reduce incidents of fire.

Don't use flammable liquids to start a wood fire in the home.

Use seasoned hard wood. Soft woods and moist or wet wood will increase creosote buildup in chimneys. Creosote, if it builds up too much, could catch fire.

Try to burn smokeless fires. Less smoke will mean less buildup of creosote in your chimney, less pollution of the environment, and cleaner air for your home.

Keep your roof clear of leaves, pine needles and other burnable materials.

Don't leave your fire unattended.

Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and test monthly if not more. Replace the batteries at least twice a year. You should install CO2 monitors as well.

Don't burn cardboard boxes in your fireplace or wood stove.

Have a fire extinguisher handy in case a fire does occur.

Small hot fires are safer and yield less smoke.

Clear excess ash to prevent clogging of stove's intake vents.

Ensure your stove is placed on an approved stove board to protect the floor. Stove boards can be made of metal or be some type of stone.

Start fires with clean newspaper and dry kindling.

Stack wood off the ground and cover the top of the wood. Prevent the wood from getting exposed to rain.

Plan and practice a family escape plan for your home and family. Plan for multiple methods of escape.

Don't use gasoline, kerosene, charcoal starter, or propane torches to light a fire. Don't use charcoal in a stove or fireplace as it produces an excessive amount of carbon monoxide.

Burn hot bright fires. Burn hot fires at least twice a day to reduce the amount of creosote in the chimney.

Install a chimney cap to keep debris and animals out of the chimney.

When cleaning out your ashes always put them in a metal container.