Holidays mean need for fire safety awareness

GATE CITY - Spring, summer and fall may be the times to watch for outdoor fire safety, but Jeff Brickey wants folks to realize that also moves inside with the holidays and colder weather. Brickey – Scott County emergency coordinator and Gate City fire chief – said the Thanksgiving and Christmas season are the time for folks to pay attention to safety with a range of items and situations – electrical, heating, kitchen, decorations, gift wrapping and other aspects of the winter season. "If it can happen, it will," Brickey said of holiday fire danger around the home. "What we see this time of year runs the gamut." Heating safety "The weather is getting colder as we get into the Thanksgiving holiday, so people need to get their heating devices and systems checked," said Brickey. "That includes having qualified persons inspecting heat pumps and furnaces, changing air filters on your heat pump heat exchangers and making sure that any wall-mounted electric heaters are clear of any obstructions or flammables." Plug-in portable electric heaters should be plugged into wall outlets or suitable extension cords, Brickey said. Power strips may not be able to handle the amperage of heaters, he said, and that can lead to overheating and fire. Wood and coal stoves and fireplaces should also be checked, with fireproof mats under stoves and screens in front of fireplaces, Brickey added. Stove and fireplace ashes should always be put into metal containers and dumped into suitable ash pits instead of garbage cans to avoid fire danger. Buckets of hot ashes should not be left on wooden decks or porches for the same reason, he added. "We have seen fires before from hot ash containers on wooden decks," said Brickey. Smoke alarm batteries should be changed at the spring and fall time changes, Brickey said, and alarms should be dusted and tested periodically. Trees, lights and decorations Christmas trees and decorations do not mix with heating sources and unsafe electrical practices, said Brickey. Whether you have a live or artificial tree in your home this season, it should be kept away from heating sources, Brickey said. Live trees should be watered frequently and fallen needles cleared. Watering trees also raises a pet safety issue if you are using tree preservative in tree stands, and Brickey recommended keeping pets from drinking from that water. Holiday lights – whether on trees or around windows and mantelpieces – should be checked for frayed or broken wires and broken bulbs. Lighting with damaged wires should be discarded, and multiple light strands should not be stacked in the same outlet to avoid electrical overload. "Don't be like Clark Griswold where he had an octopus of light wires coming out of his outlet," said Brickey. Outdoor lights also need precautions. Brickey recommended using lights and electrical connections suitable for outdoor use. Plugging them into an outlet equipped with a ground fault circuit interrupter adds another safety feature in case outdoor lights are exposed to rain or snow. The GFCI – similar to safety outlets in many home or hotel/motel bathrooms – will shut down the circuit automatically in wet conditions. Brickey advised folks buying electric lights and decorations to look for the Underwrites Laboratory "UL" symbol on packaging to find safe products. Many available holiday lights and illuminated decorations use LED bulbs, and Brickey said that helps lower device amperage and reduce overheating danger. "Don't use candles to decorate your tree or home," Brickey said, "and turn off tree and decoration lights when you're not at home." Kitchen safety The kitchen is often the center of holiday preparations, and Brickey said extra care is needed when cooking and having people helping in a confined area. "Have an in-date fire extinguisher handy in the kitchen for stove fires," said Brickey. "Don't leave burners or hot pots and pans unattended and make sure pot and pan handles are turned inward instead of hanging over the sides or fronts of stoves." Children should not be left unattended in the kitchen, Brickey added. Getting pans of turkey, ham, dressing and pies out of the oven increases the chances of burns. The Gate City Fire Department has supplies of oven sticks than can help holiday cooks maneuver hot delicacies safely, and Brickey encouraged folks to stop by the department to get a stick. After the presents are unwrapped Wrapping paper and gift boxes seem to expand in volume after the kids and adults unwrap their presents, Brickey said, so keep plenty of garbage bags handy to dispose of excess paper and containers. "Don't burn wrapping and packing materials in your wood stove or outside," Brickey said. "Plastics, vinyl and synthetic materials emit fumes that can be harmful." While not a fire issue, Brickey also cautioned about driving at night with the area's deer population."We've seen a lot of deer out this year, and we've already responded to more than 30 calls of vehicle deer strikes," said Brickey. "The deer seem pretty big this year and hitting one can total a vehicle."