BATON ROUGE - As fall settles in, it brings cooler temperatures and the temptation to reach for a heater. While there's nothing wrong with using a heater, firefighters say it's vital to be cautious. St. George Fire Department spoke with WBRZ and offered the following fire safety tips:

-Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment such as the furnace, fireplace, wood stove or portable space heater.

-Never use your oven to heat your home.

-Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

-Test smoke alarms at least once a month.

-Make sure that qualified professionals install stationary space heating equipment in your home.

With the entire month of October dedicated to fire safety awareness, St. George Fire Department is working hard to keep residents aware of best practices related to fire safety.

They urge all to visit nfpa.org for more information on how to avoid fire hazards.