Take part in the CYFS 12 Days of Holiday Safety Campaign & Contest

Listen to Jewel 88.5 to win a holiday-themed prize pack, writes Central York Fire Service Chief Ian Laing

Yorkregion.com
Dec. 15

The number of residential fires often increase during the holiday season. This can result in more fire-related injuries and fatalities. Festivities can quickly turn tragic as a result of things such as unattended cooking, faulty decorative lighting and careless use of candles.

Protect your family by checking your smoke alarms to ensure they are working and replace any that are over 10 years old. Be sure to check your carbon monoxide alarms at the same time to help protect your family from the dangers of deadly carbon monoxide.

To help keep your family safe over the holidays, Central York Fire Services (CYFS) has partnered with Jewel 88.5FM to provide daily holiday safety messaging -- with an incentive!

From Dec. 14 to 27, Jewel 88.5 will be sharing the CYFS 12 Days of Holiday Safety Campaign with daily chances to win a prize pack, courtesy of the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council. Follow along with these 12 holiday safety tips:

1. Water fresh Christmas trees daily: Keep your tree away from any ignition source, such as the fireplace, heaters or candles, and keep the base of the trunk in water at all times.

2. Check all lights before decorating: Before you put up your lights, remember to check the cords closely and discard any sets that are damaged. Don’t plug more than three strings of lights together. If you purchased a new set of LED lights, never connect them to conventional lights, as it causes LED bulbs to wear out more rapidly and could create a fire or electrical hazard.

3. Make sure your smoke alarms are in working order and replace any that are more than 10 years old: It’s always important to check your smoke alarms, especially during the holiday season. It’s the law to have working smoke alarms on every storey of your home and outside all sleeping areas. To maximize your family’s safety, test alarms monthly and replace batteries once a year.

4. Protect your family with carbon monoxide (CO) alarms: If your home has an attached garage, wood or gas fireplace, or other fuel-burning devices, you must have a working CO alarm outside every sleeping area. Like smoke alarms, remember to test your alarms monthly and replace batteries once a year.

5. Make sure everyone knows how to get out safely: Develop and practise a fire escape plan with everyone in your home. In the case of an emergency, evacuate the home and dial 9-1-1 from your chosen meeting location.

6. Use extension cords wisely, and never place them under a rug: With a limited number of outlets, extension cords come in handy when it comes to decorating. However, extension cords pose a risk. Avoid overloading circuits with plugs and extension cords, which can cause overheating and result in a fire.

7. Give space heaters space: Keep space heaters at least one metre (three feet) away from anything that can burn, such as curtains, upholstery or holiday decorations. Turn off your space heater before you leave the room to avoid overheating or equipment malfunctions.

8. Go flameless: Avoid using real candles -- use battery-powered candles as an alternative. If you use real candles, keep lit candles away from children, pets and flammable materials, and remember to blow them out before leaving the room or going to bed.

9. Keep matches and lighters out of the sight and reach of children: Matches and lighters can be deadly in the hands of children. If you smoke, have only one lighter or book of matches and keep it with you at all times.

10. Watch what you heat: Always stay in the kitchen and pay attention to your cooking -- especially when using oil or high temperatures. If a pot catches fire, do not pour water on the fire. Instead, carefully slide a tight-fitting lid over the pot to smother the flames and then turn off the heat.

11. Encourage smokers to smoke outside: Careless smoking is the leading cause of fatal fires. Encourage smokers to smoke outside and use large, deep ashtrays that can’t be knocked over. Always make sure cigarette butts are properly extinguished before going inside.

12. There’s more to responsible drinking than taking a cab home: With all the festive cheer this time of year, keep a close eye on anyone attempting to cook or smoke while under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol is often a common factor in many fatal fires and it is important to be fully coherent while preparing food or using any form of fire.

The 12 holiday safety-themed prize packages contain a carbon monoxide alarm, a 24 oz insulated tumbler and an assortment of handy household and auto items.

Listen along to the Jewel 88.5 to hear the cue to call in when the daily safety messages are shared throughout the month of December.

Central York Fire Services wishes the community a safe holiday, and reminds residents to put safety first by staying home as much as possible, washing your hands frequently, wearing a mask or face covering when in enclosed public spaces and to practise physical distancing with those outside of your household.

For more information on fire safety, visit cyfs.ca or follow @CentralYorkFire on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.