Carbon monoxide is often called the silent killer, simply because you don't hear or see it coming. As the seasons change many home owners are firing up the furnace or the fireplace for the the first time. It is strongly recommended that you have your heating system check each year by a trained & licensed professional. Windy City is offering a 21 Point Safety Inspection please call our office for details & mention this article & receive a special price for our web customers. You should also insure that before you start your fireplace for the season to check the  damper. If the damper is not opened properly you could become over powered by the fumes from the exhaust of the fireplace. This could lead to serious injury & possibly death. If you have a wood burning fireplace you should also have a trained professional chimney sweep, clean your chimney annually. The reason is because when you burn wood one of the byproducts of the burning is called Creosol. This Creosol builds up in the chimney walls and could cause a fire to start in the chimney.