Wichita, Kansas. Oct. 22, 2007 – It's time for the fall furnace check at Jim Hartshorn's residence.  It's something he's sure to schedule every year.

"We had something bad happen a few years back, midwinter, so we decided after - no more," said Hartshorne. 

Jim’s heater went out that year.  For Kisha Wilson it was much worse, carbon monoxide poisoning.

"Me and my kids could have not woke up.  It's a good thing that we did wake up and get out.  We're very lucky," said Wilson.

Firefighters say don't rely on luck.  Now is the time to get your furnace checked by a licensed professional.

"With a cracked or stopped up flue, there's a good chance carbon monoxide might leak into the house and that would become a problem," said Wichita Fire Marshall Ed Bricknell.

Jason Wiseman of Roth Heating & Air makes sure furnaces are problem free.

"I like to keep the furnace clean, make sure its clean at all times,  check out the heat exchanger check for carbon monoxide leaks," said Wiseman.

Most of us would have no idea how to do that.  But what we can do could be life-saving.  For instance, make sure floor furnaces are not covered by rugs or furniture and keep space heaters at least three feet away from any items.

"When you leave the room, turn the space heater off and when you sleep at night turn it off as well. We’ve had fires caused by people who have thrown blankets off the bed, they land on top of the heater hence there's a fire," said Bricknell.

If your furnace has a pilot light, let a professional do the lighting.  Firefighters have seen what happens when homeowners try.

"Some of the injuries, we find flash burns, some people attempting to light the furnace they allow too much gas to build up in the combustion chamber and when they light the pilot light it flashes in their face," said Bricknell.

Jim Hartshorn takes no chances.

"Too many things happen unexpectedly and you want to be sure that doesn't happen," said Harshorn.