Valley Springs, CA…Our hearts go out to the entire community the past few weeks, and especially to those who have lost their homes in the recent fires. Sam, who many of you know, is a board member of the Calaveras Consolidated Fire Protection District. He has a couple of tops and safety checks he wants to share, “If the fire burned close to your home or you burned shrubs next to your home in a proactive manor, the heat and smoke may have caused damage to an outside air conditioning system. The excess heat can cause some insulation and wiring to melt, and the smoke and ash may clog the filters and condenser coils – affecting the home’s indoor air quality, as well as decreasing the efficiency of your system, increasing the energy consumption, and making your system work harder. All of this shortens the like of your system and we recommend you inspect your system or have a professional do this for you.”