Sparks can fly at Christmas Time
By Brittanney Meacham | 4th December 2007
Anticipation over shopping and festivities sometimes over shadow more important, long-term issues pertaining to the holidays such as the safety of those you love.
“There are several more reports on Christmas and Thanksgiving than any other day of the year,” said Matt Sheets, a Peoria area Firefighter. He mentioned even more are called in during the holidays than the 4th of July when people are susceptible of bodily harm with firecrackers or grilling related accidents.
“It’s never boring during the holidays around here,” Sheets said about the number of instances his department receives during Christmas and Thanksgiving only.
He added that his department receives triple the amount of calls for help during Christmas.
During the years of 2001 to 2004, there were seven fire related deaths in the Peoria area during the holiday seasons. While it is unclear whether or not they were holiday related deaths like oven fires, it is still no reason to not take the numbers seriously.
“I don’t understand how so many people have problems during the Holidays,” said Chad Harrison, a Peoria area citizen.
According to Sheets, one reason of accidents during the holiday season is people not paying attention to possible hazards like an ill maintained or outdated fire extinguisher. Fire extinguishers should be properly maintained on a regular basis.
One way to keep fire extinguishers in good shape is to make sure that it free of dents, leaks, rust, chemical deposits and other signs of abuse.
If there are dents present, then it is recommended to replace the fire extinguisher as soon as possible because there is a chance of the extinguisher being unusable after damaged.
Any chemical residue spotted should be whipped off immediately because it may produce an erratic reaction when used.
Some manufacturers recommend tipping the extinguishers upside down once a month so the particles do not settle and become inactive as well as to prevent the powder inside from compacting.
“I think people lack common sense sometimes with safety,” said Frieda McBride, a Peoria area citizen.
Sheets said many rational and intelligent people still run into trouble because they don’t want to deal with situations that may or may not happen.
He adds that many of the fire victims previously mentioned were probably as intelligent as the average person but felt that they felt either accidents wouldn’t happen to them or had trouble dealing with the notion that they would be involved with a fire emergency.
Another major cause of fire during holidays is faulty wiring on decorative lights. This sometimes causes electrocution or a fire.
Many manufacturers go to great lengths to make electric derived decorations as safe as possible.
However, whenever electricity is involved, there is always a chance of danger if the person or persons using the device are not careful.
It is recommended that tree lights be unplugged every night before bed so the wires will not overheat causing a reaction.
It is also advised by fire officials that if a multiple outlet strip is used that it be used in moderation. The more plugs, the more danger of the main socket which the strip is plugged into becoming overwhelmed.
If antique decorations are used they should be monitored closely as there have been many safety updates since the original production date.
Make sure that when unwrapping presents the paper is disposed of or kept out of the vicinity of electrical outlets. If outlets spark, it could ignite the paper even more than regular paper because of the chemicals used to make the bright festive wrapping paper. Also be aware of tree skirts or pin needles being too close to a socket.
Make sure an activated smoke detector is in every room as this can warn people out of the room where the fire is occurring that there is a need attention.
To test a fire detector, press the button on the detector to make sure it is properly working. If the batteries have not been changed in awhile, make sure to change them because a fire detector is always active, always using battery power, regardless of if there is smoke or not.
If food is being prepared, which in many cases it is during the holidays, make sure to not leave the food on the stove or in the oven for too long. Sometimes, if food is left on the stove or in the oven for too long it will catch fire because of it overstepping it’s maximum heat range and catches on fire.
Be aware of the safety information on turkey fryers and use them outside in an open, high ceiling garage or outside if the space in a garage is not adequate or no garage is available.
If a fire or accident does occur call emergency personnel immediately. Many times people think they have fires and accidents under control, when often they do not.