Pilot Butte Fire Department

- Most of the debris that accumulates over the winter months -- boxes, stacks of paper, old clothes and other useless clutter -- offer an excellent place for a fire to start.
Start by cleaning up all those newspapers. If there are too many to stack on your curb for recycling, take them to the recycling container by the town shop.

- Are there any old oily rags you can get rid of? This is a good time to start a fresh shoeshine rag and a new furniture polishing cloth. What about those cloths that were used to wipe up fuel spills from the snowblower or snowmobile? Get rid of them, too. It doesn’t have to be very warm in your garage or storage area for oily rags to heat up and start a fire.

- Go through the attic, the basement and the closets to get rid of those things you’ve outgrown or don’t ever use. Maybe a charitable organization could make good use of some of these items. If you can’t bear to part with some items, consider renting space at a mini-warehouse or self-storage facility. At the very least, straighten things up and be sure everything is at least three feet from water heaters, furnaces and other heat sources.

- While you’re thinking fire safety, test your smoke alarm, check your fire extinguisher and review your home escape plan.