Staying Safe

By Mike Conrad, Division Chief Operations Aptos La Selva Fire Protection District

It’s the holiday season; everyone is busy with the hustle and bustle that goes with this time of year. So while you are enjoying family and friends this year, please take a few moments to ensure their safety.

Statistics from the U.S. Fire Administration shows that during the month of December, 72 percent of all structure fires are in residential buildings and the leading cause involves cooking closely followed by heating.

In the Kitchen

Family, friends, and perhaps even adult beverages can distract Cooks in the kitchen. Fifty four percent of cooking fires during the holidays result from either food or cooking equipment being left unattended or combustible items like towels, wooden utensils, oven mitts and cook books being left too close to a heat source. Keep all burnable objects well away from any heat source and never leave any cooking left unattended. It only takes a short time for oil in a pan to reach its ignition temperature and possibly ruin a holiday.

Open Fires

During the holidays the use of open flame in our homes increases such as fireplaces, wood stoves or candles but also kids playing with fire. Be very careful to keep candles away from flammable items and never leave a candle burning when you leave the house or go to bed. Make sure burnable items are not stored to close to the fireplace or wood stove and if you have children in the home, remind them that fire is very dangerous and should not be played with. You may even during this time of year teach them the proper use of fire and how to safely start a fire in the fireplace or light a candle, always with adult supervision.

Christmas Trees

Christmas tree fires can produce the most dangerous fires of all. A six-foot Christmas tree can burn with the same intensity as a 2-foot pool of gasoline. How fast a Christmas tree fire will spread depends mostly on how dry the tree is. Take a few minutes and search for videos of Christmas tree fires on the Internet.

You will find many showing that a tree fire can spread to the entire room in just seconds. If you have a real tree, keep it well watered and remove a tree as soon as it becomes dry. Always keep the tree away from ignition sources like the fireplace, heater or wood stove, inspect the Christmas tree lights and don’t leave them on while away from home or when going to bed.

Smoke Detectors

Always have working smoke detectors in your home and change batteries twice a year. A good time to do this is with the time change in spring and fall. While not as exciting as other holiday gifts, the gift of a smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector and a fire extinguisher may give the gift of life.

On behalf of the members of the Aptos La Selva Fire District, I would like to wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday season. And don’t forget, you can spread the joy of the holiday season by stopping by any of our fire stations and donating food or toys for those in need.