The weather is cooling down which means residents furnaces may be kicking in.

This is prompting the Okotoks Fire Department to remind home owners to make sure their furnaces are in check.

Ken Thevenot, Okotoks Fire Chief, says furnaces require regular maintenance.

"One of the things is having your furnace looked at by a qualified technician and we should be servicing them at least every year and we should be changing the furnace filter on a regular basis, so at minimum check the furnace filter and have it serviced annually."

The fire department offers free home inspections that cover a variety of areas.

"When we go through our home inspections we check a number of things but one is the proximity of storage materials around the furnace but also checking the furnace filter, checking the hot water tank and [to ensure] there's nothing stored around or on top of the hot water tank, and reminding people to check their dryer vents before winter as well." explains Thevenot.

Home inspections can be booked by calling the Okotoks Fire Department at (403) 938-4066.