Each year more than 500 people die in the U.S. from carbon monoxide poisoning. Protect your family by taking these simple precautions.

1) Get a carbon monoxide detector with a battery backup so it'll still work in a power outage.

2) Have your chimney flue professionally cleaned each year. Chimneys are difficult to maintain correctly so don't do it yourself.

3) Clean out snow from your car's exhaust before starting the car or better yet, park it inside if you have a garage.

4) Don't use your stove or oven as a way to heat up the house.

5) Never warm your car up in the garage, even if the door is open. Fumes can still seep into your house even if the garage door is open.

6) Don't use a generator inside your house.

Learn more about carbon monoxide poisoning and prevention here.