Get the Fireplace Going: Where to Get Firewood & Fireplace Safety Tips
With temperatures dropping below freezing, it’s time to start up the fireplace! Warm up the home and keep those hands and toes toasty, but make sure to do it properly and safely.
FEMA and the U.S. Fire Administration offer some tips on fireplace safety:
- Have the chimney inspected annually and cleaned if necessary
- Keep flammable materials away from the fireplace – sparks may jump out and ignite these materials
- Don’t start or accelerate a fire with flammable liquids
- Use a glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace opening – this will help prevent embers or sparks from jumping out and unwanted material from going in
- Don’t overbuild fires, it can ignite creosote in the chimney
- No charcoal should be used indoors, it could give off lethal amounts of carbon monoxide
- Put out the fire before you go to sleep. The damper should NEVER be closed with hot ashes still in the fireplace – a fire may heat up again and toxic carbon monoxide may be released in the home
- Synthetic logs are to be used per directions on the package – don’t break it apart or use more than one log at a time.
With a clear understanding on how to warm your home up safely with the fireplace, it’s time to gather the wood!
Stick with wood from local vendors. The DEC has a regulation in effect that prohibits the import of firewood into New York unless it has been heat treated to kill pests. It also limits the transportation of untreated firewood to less than 50 miles from its source. Some Long Island firewood vendors include:
- Long Island Firewood (800) 963-7133
- Chilly Winds Firewood (631) 732-8936
- Woodside Nursery and Garden Center (631) 758-1491
- Long Island Firewood (631) 368-9086
- Prianti Farms (631) 499-0772
- LI Firewood and Mulch (631) 335-4058
- Paccione & Sons (516) 889-1576
- Hicks Firewood Co. (631) 269-5300
- Island Firewood (516) 731-6615
- Elwood Florist (631) 848-1156
Photo by David Grant, via Free Images.