With frigid weather hitting the borough hard, residents should be aware of how to safely heat their homes.

The city's Office of Emergency Management says if you lose heat, insulate your home by sealing windows and doors to keep any existing heat inside. They say you should open your faucets to keep pipes from freezing if you lose hot water.

The OEM also recommends eating often in cold weather because food provides you with energy to maintain your body heat.

Only space heaters that have been approved for indoor use should be operated inside the home. Furniture and drapes should be kept at least three feet away from the heater, and clothes should never be draped over a space heater to dry.

The OEM stresses that a gas oven should not be used to heat one's home. They say it is really unsafe to use to raise the room temperature because it can cause carbon monoxide levels to build up.

Residents should keep a working carbon monoxide detector in their homes as well as a smoke detector, and test them every month. The fire department says it sees a lot of preventable fires when the temperatures drop because of unsafe heating.