Leeds Fire Chief Chuck Parsons would like to share some public safety tips to keep you safe during the holiday season. Hopefully, these tips will enable you to stay safe and not have to call 9-1-1 during the holidays.
Half of all holiday season fires are due to decorations too close to a heat source. When you get your lights out to install, inspect the lights, look for any frayed or pinched wires, and discard any that are not in good condition. Don’t try to install them, because they will generate additional heat. Get some new ones.
If you are putting up a live Christmas tree, water it every day. Dry trees can easily catch fire. Trim the stump by at least two inches. Put the tree in the stand and water it, allowing it to absorb water for 24 hours before bringing it inside your home. Install your tree at least three feet from heat sources, fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, candles or vents. Heat vents will dry your tree out.
Do not place your tree where it will block an exit. The last thing you want during the holidays is for you to need to get out of your home in a hurry and your tree has blocked an exit.
If you like to have candles around in your home, consider using battery-operated flameless candles. They look like real candles now and also have scented options to choose from. The new LED candles even flicker. If you decide to use real candles, please make sure they are in stable holders and place them where they will not be knocked over easily. Candles should be at least 12 inches from anything that will burn. Always, snuff out candles before you leave home. It’s also a good idea to snuff out candles when you leave the room.
With outdoor lighting and even indoor lights, check for the UL label or certification label. This means that your lighting is approved for that particular use. Do not overload your extension cords. Use heavy-duty cords rated for outdoor use and a timer to turn off holiday lights before you go to bed. Always, turn off lights when you leave home.
Whether it’s the holidays or year-round, when you go to bed at night, make sure all of your bedroom doors are closed. That is a real safety issue for you. If you do have a fire in the middle of the night while you are asleep, keeping your door closed will keep the fire and smoke out of your room for a good period of time. During the last year or so, we’ve had a couple of incidents. We’ve had fires in the living room portion of the house, family members were in their bedrooms with the doors shut and their rooms were almost intact while the rooms on the other side of the doors were burned and sustained damage. By having your doors shut, it gives you time to get out of the house. In both of these incidents, smoke detectors went off, alerted them and they were able to get out of the home through their bedroom windows. Because when they opened their bedroom doors, there was a fire on the other side of those doors. Also, if you have smoke detectors, make sure they are working. If you have issues and need help with your smoke detectors, you can call us and we will come out to check them. We will install smoke detectors for you if you need them. If you need this or any non-emergency service, please call Leeds Fire Department at 205-699-0912. It rings at the fire station. Leave a message if no one answers and the fire department will get back to you. Again, this number is for non-emergency situations. If you have a true emergency, please call 9-1-1 to get an immediate response.