WESTFIELD–While the holiday season is for friends, family and celebration, it is also a time to be mindful of fire safety.
The Christmas season is the second-highest time of the year for home fires, ranking only behind time around Thanksgiving. The Westfield Fire Department wants residents to be safe and prepared during this holiday season, in order to prevent adding to the statistics and ruining the holidays for you or your family.
Westfield Fire deputy chief Eric Bishop
“It’s important for people to know that it isn’t just one thing that can cause fires, you have to be careful of everything,” Westfield Fire deputy chief Eric Bishop said. “Fire doubles in size every minute so it can consume quickly.”
Bishop said that causes of holiday fires include electrical issues, decorations, heating units and the most common of all–cooking.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, cooking-related fires were responsible for 47 percent of fires in one- and two-family homes, and were responsible for 84 percent of fires in apartments, dormitories and other smaller living spaces.
These fires typically occurred while cooking was left unattended, to Bishop that suggests residents should be more attentive when cooking. Additionally, most injuries occur when people try to put the fires out, so if it appears unsafe to put it out then wait for firefighters to extinguish the flame.
For electrical fires, make sure that cords and outlets are not covered, especially with material that could become combustible, such as paper or cloth. If you are utilizing an extension cord, make certain that it is only for temporary use and that no major appliances, such as a microwave, refrigerator or other large appliance is plugged into it.
When using electrical decorations make certain that all lights and other decorations are turned off before going to bed. If you have multiple strands of lights, it is also recommended that you do not put more than three strands into a single outlet. It is also suggested that you utilize LED lighting, which has a lower temperature than traditional older lighting.
Also, make sure that the lights and other decorations that you use are graded for their use, which would mean outdoor-use decorations for outdoor use, and vice versa.
Finally, whether it is during the holidays or any other time, Bishop suggests making sure that smoke alarms are checked regularly and that all are working properly.
“A working detector can double the chance of a family surviving a fire,” he said.
