Frigid Temperatures: Keeping Your Family and Pets Safe

With the mercury taking a deep dip, we're all cranking up the heat, turning on space heaters or starting a fire to keep warm.
 
News 3's Randi Hempel is On Your Side with home heating advice that can save your life and advice on what you need to do if you have outside pets.
 
"One of the things that we want people to remember tonight as it turns cold is be careful with space heaters, with floor furnaces,” says Capt. Matt Stanley with Savannah Fire & Emergency Services.
 
It’s all so you don't have an accidental fire. Captain Matt Stanley from Savannah Fire has some advice if you're using a space heater.
    
"Keep those areas free from bedding, clothing, blankets, carpets, curtains. Make sure that those units can breathe 3 feet around, all the way around that there's nothing laying on top of them or touching them,” he explains.
 
Also, turn them off before you go to bed.
    
"Even know it's going to be cold in the morning, it's better to wake up cold than not at all,” he adds.
 
If you haven't had your fireplace and chimney cleaned by a professional yet this year, don't use it.
 
Stanley says they've seen people get pretty creative with home heating.
   
"They use their stoves, ovens. They use hot plates. They've used grills inside the house which is horrible because you give off carbon monoxide gas as well. Any of those unconventional heat sources, we don't want to use those,” Stanley says.
 
While we're doing everything inside to keep our families safe, we also have to protect our four legged family members by bringing them inside, away from the cold weather.
 
"The best possible situation for them is to be in a heated home,” says Nancy Richards, assistant executive director of the Chatham County Humane Society.
 
Nancy Richards from the Chatham County Humane Society says bring your animals in if it's below 45 degrees.
 
But if you have to keep your animals outside…
 
"They need to be in a sheltered environment like a dog house or something like that. They need to make sure that the water that they have isn't frozen over,” explains Richards.
 
Pets also need more food; more protein in their diet just to help them keep warm.
 
And for small pooches, a sweater.
 
With the temperatures expected to be below freezing, we wanted to know if we should worry about the pipes in our homes.
 
We're On Your Side with advice from Mr. Rooter Plumbing. For outside spigots, it's best to let the water drip, wrap a towel around the faucet hold it on with a rubber band or rope. It creates insulation.
 

Humane Society officials say often times pets look for warm places like under cars, especially when they're running. Check for them before you drive away.
 
With the chilly temperatures setting in, the Humane Society of Chatham County is in need of extra blankets or even towels. If you have some at home, please drop them off at their location on Sallie Mood Drive.  You can reach them at 912-354-9515.

If your home is raised off the ground, you can buy slip on pipe insulation.
 
For pipes on the outside walls of the home, like the kitchen or bathroom sinks, open the cabinets to let the heat in.
 
They say there isn't a real need to worry now because the temperatures won't stay below freezing for 2 to 3 days in a row, only 5 to 6 hours at a time.