Indoor fire safety urged for residents over the holiday season
ELECTRICAL SAFETY IMPORTANT WITH CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS
More than 4,300 fires were reported last year in Alberta, resulting in 166 injuries and 29 deaths.
Fire officials are offering holiday safety reminders in hopes that this year’s toll isn’t higher.
More than two-thirds of household fires are caused by smokers’ materials, cooking — or electrical hazards, they report. Discarded cigarettes have been blamed for a number of fires in Lethbridge this year.
But with so many Christmas lights and decorations in use, officials are also reminding Albertans about electrical safety.
• Turn off indoor as well as outdoor decorations before leaving home or going to bed.
• Follow manufacturers’ instructions for number of light strands.
• Remember indoor lights may not be safe outdoors.
• Don’t overload circuits and don’t place cords under carpets.
• Check for loose bulbs, worn or broken wires, replace damaged sets.
Live Christmas trees must be watered daily, they add — and kept away from heaters, fireplaces and candles. And candles should be placed in a glass holder, and extinguished when people leave the room.
Kitchens may also present hazards, and officials remind cooks to stay in there while using the stove or appliances — including an electric deep fryer instead of heating oil in a pot.
If oil or anything else catches fire, a readily accessible lid should be placed on top and the burner turned off.
Space heaters can also start fires, so they should be kept at least one metre away from curtains, furniture or decorations.
Firefighters also point out the importance of keeping fresh batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, and remind guests and residents of fire escape routes — at least two of them. Homesized fire extinguishers are also recommended, to be placed in the kitchen, near the furnace and out in the garage.
“The holiday season is a wonderful time of year, but it is also a busy time and fire safety is often not on the top of our to-do list,” says Shaye Anderson, the province’s minister of municipal affairs, in a news release.
“I want to remind all Albertans to be fire smart when decorating and entertaining.”