‘Tis the Season to Be Prepared

News Release from From the Pickens County EMA, Bob Howard 706-253-8954:It’s true that there’s no place like home for the holidays. With the temperature dropping, there’s nothing like bundling up with the family around the fire to enjoy some holiday cheer. However, the open hearths, candles and holiday cooking also bring an increased risk for house fires.

According to data from the United States Fire Administration, an estimated 2,000 Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings occur annually in the United States, resulting in an estimated average of five deaths, 25 injuries and $21 million in property. The leading cause of these fires is cooking.

Here are the top five cooking safety tips from Fannin County EMA and Fire Department to help you avoid a holiday disaster:

1. Make sure you have smoke alarms on every level of your home, outside each sleeping area, and in every bedroom. Test smoke alarms monthly and replace them if they are 10 years old or older.
2. Never leave cooking food unattended, and keep a lid nearby to smother small fires in pans, such as grease fires. Be particularly careful with oil-based turkey fryers, which present numerous burn and fire hazards.
3. Don’t wear loose sleeves while working over hot stove burners – they can melt, ignite or catch on the handles of pots and pans, spilling hot oil and other liquids.
4. Have a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feet around the stove and areas where hot foods and drinks are prepared or carried.
5. Plug cooking appliances directly into an electrical outlet. Never use an extension cord for a cooking appliance. It can overload the circuit and cause a fire.

Other holiday safety tips:
1. When choosing a live Christmas tree, pick one with green needles that don’t fall off when you bounce the tree trunk on the ground. Keep it away from heat sources in your home, and water it frequently.
2. Check you holiday lights for frayed wires and other damage. Never link more than three light strands together.
3. Make sure your holiday decorations are non-flammable.
4. Consider using battery-operated flameless candles instead of real candles.
5. Don’t burn wrapping paper in the fireplace; it could create a large blaze that could spark a chimney fire. Also, never leave a fireplace burning when you go to sleep.