Protecting your home from fire in a snowy, icy storm

COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Whether your front lawn is covered in snow, your driveway is slick with ice, or you're experiencing a power outage, the icy and windy storm is affecting thousands in the Capital Region. There are steps you can take to avoid adding insult to injury for yourself and your local fire department.

“This time of year, you want to make sure your hydrants are clear," said Colonie Fire Company Chief Jeff Kayser, "because that delay for a fire truck crew to get there and have to dig out a hydrant could make a big difference in how much damage is done to a house during a fire.”

Salting your driveway and front steps could not only save you from a slip and fall but helps responders in case they have to rush to you in an emergency.

Kayser said it’s really important that once you’re hunkered down inside your home, be very cautious if you are using a portable space heater to stay warm.

“You want to make sure they're four feet away from any type of combustibles, and you also don't want to leave them unattended if you're going to be using them in a room like a living room. You want to make sure you're in that room because they can fail," Kayser said.

Same goes for any candles you may light during a power outage.

“I've been to fires before where nobody was in the room, and the candle sparked, and the spark lit off something else," Kayser recalled, "so you want to make sure candles are always attended.”

If you’re keeping warm with a fireplace, make sure your chimney has been cleaned within the past year. Built up soot or creosote could lead to a chimney fire that spreads to your house.

“You don't want that to happen, because that's when the real challenge comes for the fire department to put that fire out," Kayser added.

Don’t wait to make an escape plan for you and your family.

"We see a lot of hoarding conditions, and that slows you down to get out. It disorients you because in smoke, you're not going to be able to see where your obstructions are," Kayser said, "and it slows rescuers down trying to get to you if you're still in your house.”