Electric blankets had caused an average 35 fires a year over the past five years, Senior Firefighter Kate Hill, of Dunedin, said.
So the fire service urges people to take advantage of the free checks at Powerstore, in Princes St, Dunedin, on Saturday morning.
The Fire Service says electric blankets should be checked by an expert every year, but householders should also carry out regular visual checks to ensure blankets have not become discoloured or their wiring damaged.
Going to sleep with the blanket on was the most regular cause of electric blanket fires, she said.
"People think it's not going to happen to me, but it might. Don't take the risk."
Other electric blanket safety advice included not placing heavy objects on the bed or allowing pets on them, rolling rather than folding blankets when storing, installing smoke alarms in bedrooms and destroying old blankets so they could not be reused.
