Recently, in parts of the Shoalhaven, the temperature dipped as low as three degrees and left one of the first frosts.

Local Fire Rescue NSW Station Commander Sean Doohan knows people will want to warm up but he does not want them to take risks.

The local unit has responded to several house fires this winter and they don’t want to go to any more.

The station commander said some of the calls were a result of people not carrying out basic maintenance, like cleaning out their flues.

“It is something people do let slide as the years go on but the things we would get called to regularly through the winter months are fires in flues, fireplace style fires and fires in chimneys and that is purely because of poor maintenance,” he said.

He urged people to carry out regular maintenance on their various heaters.

Station Commander Doohan said the type of fuels people burn can also lead to household fires over the winter months.

“If you are burning timbers that are not burning cleanly you are getting a residual build up,” he said

He added burning fuels suited for outside fires inside a home is dangerous as smoke and fumes from chemicals, which normally would go up into the air, stays within a structure.

Ashes from fires can also create drama.

“Recently as last week up in Hornsby people were tipping out ashes from I think it was a fireplace which they thought were all out and so they tipped in the bin at the side of their house,” he said.

“Low and behold an hour or two later the whole side of the house is on fire because of those ashes.

“A good suggestion for someone who has a fireplace or something like that is maybe to have a receptacle that is not plastic.

“Put the ashes into the receptacle first and maybe put a bit on water on it just to ensure the ashes have cooled down, are out and then tip them in the bin.

“It’s an added step but it’s for added safety.”

People also get their electric blankets out during the colder months.

“Electric blankets are an issue but not a huge issue and certainly have been so in years gone by,” he said

“When people take them out of storage they need to be checked to make sure they are in good working condition.

“My suggestion is when they go back into storage you roll them rather than fold them.

“What has happened in previous years is at the fold marks is where the heat has built up and has actually started a fire.

“When you are rolling them you are not really creating a hot spot.”

Smoke alarms are still by far the simplest and possibly the most important safety device.

“Smoke alarms defiantely do work all the time and it's amazing the amount of non-fires were are now attending in comparison to 10 years ago,” he said.

“We used get to fires in time to limit it to one bedroom or kitchen and whereas now we turn up and the fire has already been put out by the resident because of the smoke alarm.”

Fire Rescue NSW recommends the photo-electric style of smoke alarm because there's less chance of a false alarm.

This year is also a re-alarm campaign because it’s 10-years since it became a government requirement for people to have smoke alarms.

“Smoke alarms normally have a life of 10 years and so after 10 years people really should be thinking about replacing them with some new alarms,” Station Commander Doohan said.

He added wheat bags, that are heated up in microwaves can be dangerous because they start fires

“We were going to fires in people’s bedrooms that had started in the beds because of the wheat bags,” he said.

He also warned people to be wary about their mobile phone chargers because they do create heat.

“Charge your phone on a bench top - not in your bed,” he said.