MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- For hundreds of years, people all over the world have known about electricity. Unfortunately, with all great discoveries, comes some negative effects.

According to an article posted last year by the Electrical Safety Foundation (ESF), an estimated 51,000 electrical fires occurred in the United States, accounting for nearly 500 deaths, more than 1400 injuries, and $1.3 billion in property damage. Additionally, about 65% of fire-related deaths result from non-functioning smoke detectors. Here are a few fire safety tips that could possibly save lives and property.

· Plug portable space heaters into an outlet. Don't use extension cords or 3-in-1 adapters into a wall outlet.

· Make sure you have smoke detectors on every level of the house, inside each bedroom and outside each sleeping area. 

· Only use extension cords for temporary use. Over-use can cause the outer jacket to overheat, which can create a fire.  

· Broken heaters should be checked and repaired only by a qualified appliance service center. Don't attempt to make any repairs to the heater.

· Electric blankets and electric heating pads shouldn't be used interchangeably or at the same time as this will cause overheating. 

· Don't fold electric blankets while they're being used. This can cause the blanket to overheat and burn out. Make sure the blanket has a mechanism to cut power to the blanket won't overheat.

For more helpful tips visit the fire prevention office, or visit these websites:

http://www.esfi.org/resource/home-electrical-fires-184

http://www.megavolt.co.il/Tips_and_info/winterElecSafety.html