WELLINGTON COUNTY – The Wellington County Public Fire Safety Education Officers Association is offering advice to help keep residents safe during the holiday season.
“We’re trying to raise some awareness of the leading causes of fires during the holidays and what residents can do to protect themselves,” association member Bernie Liebig said.
“We’re wishing that Wellington County has a fire-free holiday season this year and of course we need all residents to make this come true.”
Liebig said fires typically occur when people get preoccupied or distracted from what they’re doing.
“So with the busyness of the holidays, the hustle and the bustle and the distractions with the cellphones and with the kids, maybe the doorbell, it can be very easy to get distracted and let your guard down,” he said.
All it takes is for a pot to be left on the stove, or a candle left burning unattended, and a family’s holiday celebrations can turn to tragedy, the association noted.
Never leave a cooking pot unattended on the stove and consider using battery-operated or electric flameless candles.
Smoking is another leading cause of fires during the holiday season, Liebig added.
Make sure smokers extinguish cigarettes in large deep ashtrays – not in plant pots which may contain peat moss or shredded bark that can easily ignite.
Ashes should be emptied in a metal container – not the garbage can – and put outside.
The association is also reminding residents to maintain working smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in your home. Install smoke alarms on every storey of your home and outside all sleeping areas.
Where the home has fuel-fired appliances or an attached garage, CO alarms are required on all sleeping floors. Test your smoke and CO alarms every month and install new batteries if needed.
Enjoy a fire-safe holiday season by following these tips:
- always stay in the kitchen when something is cooking on the stove;
- place lit candles away from anything that can burn and out of the reach of children and pets where they can’t be knocked over. Remember to snuff out candles before leaving the room or going to bed. Consider using battery-operated or electric flameless candles;
- drink responsibly. Attempting to cook or smoke while under the influence of alcohol is too often a contributing factor in fatal fires;
- make sure the base of real Christmas trees are immersed in water at all times, to prevent them from getting too dry;
- check all sets of decorative lights before putting them up and discard any sets that are damaged; and
- develop and practice a home fire escape plan so that everyone in your home knows what to do if the smoke or CO alarms sound.
“On behalf of the Wellington County Public Fire Safety Education Officers Association we want everybody to have a fire-safe and a happy holiday season,” Liebig said.
“That’s what we’re trying to do as an association, to bring that awareness.”
For more information or fire safety contact your local Wellington County fire department.
