Outside combustion air and a method of heat storage are two requirements of a safe wood heat installation, but any equipment is only as safe as it's operator. "Heater-related fires are caused almost exclusively by installation, operation, and maintenance errors, not by unsafe equipment". Wood Heat Safety, by Jay Shelton, Garden Way, 1979. Example, wood smoke need not be released into the home when the appliance door is opened, as stated in the E.I.S., if the operator is aware of the damper controls and how to use them. Operator education is central to the indoor air quality issue.

I can see no need for an air-to air-heat exchanger (A.A.H.E.) based on the presence of a fireplace. However, a properly tightened house requires one anyway, and its inclusion would only reduce the threat from the occasional puff of smoke that might occur.