Although we are barely into autumn, it's a good time to look ahead and start preparations for the coming winter months. 

"The winter climate is starting to roll in here," shared Fire Chief Dale Feser. "I know we're all trying to put it off as long as we can but having said that, we must prepare for that because it is going to come nonetheless."

"You want to take this opportunity to make sure your furnace and ducting for your hot water heater, your dryer, all of that is clean and ready to go. Remove all that lint."

"Make sure your carbon monoxide detectors are functioning correctly. If they've reached 10 years of age, you want to replace them. Same thing with the smoke alarms. Once a month you should be going around and checking those life-saving devices to ensure that the batteries are good and it is functioning properly.

He adds that some smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms can come with a ten-year battery but they can be expensive. 

"But I still caution people you still want to check that the batteries are functioning correctly and providing that early warning detection when needed."