With cooler temperatures, it's time to twist the thermostat. The fan kicks on and blows the season's dust from your ducts. Fuel ignites from burners that have laid dormant since spring. Furnace efficiency is reduced and respiratory well-being is compromised as dust collects in your heating and return ducts and furnace during the "off" season.

A regular, professional, and do-it-yourself program of maintenance for your furnace and other heating systems means big savings in efficiency and peaceful nights for you, your family, and your firefighters.

So give your furnace a tune-up, and most importantly, keep combustibles away from your home heating systems and appliances!

According to the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the top three causes of all fires in Washington for 2002 are equipment/appliances (24 percent), cooking (11 percent), and heating systems (11 percent). Heating systems include chimneys, fireplace inserts, furnaces, and other systems to warm your house. The Fire department asks you to remember that those systems may cause problems when unused and/or not maintained for months...sometimes years...at a time.